Champagne Cocktails

For most wine connoisseurs, champagne or much better known for its famous moniker as “the sparkling wine”, is perfect as it is.

The best way to enjoy the sparkling alcoholic beverage is to serve it in a very nice and tall champagne flute or a champagne saucer in the proper temperature.

While the variations of the sparkling wine has differed and evolved from its original inventions by the Abbey monks, with the sweet variation of yore to the more dry variation of the modern times, the effect and status of the beverage stays the same – it is highly popular as a very sophisticated and classy drink.

Now, we all are familiar with die-hards and purists, and in the world of champagne there is no exception – to serve or drink the sparkling wine in a tampered and mixed way is nothing short of sacrilege.

This is why champagne cocktails are considered by many champagne purists as an abomination to the wine they love.

If you know a lot about champagne, then you probably know that it can be served on any condition and it still won’t change the fact that it can be enjoyed under any circumstance, and this is the pure essence of the different variations for the cocktail recipes today.

What are champagne cocktails?

In a nutshell, champagne cocktails are beverages designed with the sparkling wine as base with an additional ingredient added to the mix.

The addition of certain elements add to the flavor and zest of the sparkling wine, making it a must have in all special occasions and events. It is this very informal drink that paves the way for a lot of socialization, specifically because of the alcoholic base mixed with certain non-alcoholic elements, which makes it the perfect foil for pure alcoholic beverages that might turn off most of the non-drinkers present in an event or an occasion.

Cocktails are quite popular because of this, especially for the ladies who want to socially drink but don’t like the bitter taste of beer that most men prefer.

The drink variation has become so popular in fact that there are literally hundreds of different variations of cocktail recipes available out there and most of these recipes for cocktail are so easy to replicate that it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to whip up something in such a short notice.

Popular Champagne Cocktail Additions

Here are some of the most popular choices of additions that make up a cocktail:

1) Ice

One of the most famous additions to make a cocktail is ice.

It not only adds the right amount of temperature to the drink, but it also provides the much needed texture to the alcoholic beverage, making is more comparable to a shake.

2) Fruits

A wide variety of recipes for cocktail includes the addition of various fruits to the sparkling wine.

In fact, the mere essence of a cocktail itself is said to have originated from the mixture of the sparkling wine with a variety of fruits to add flavor and sweetness.

The various recipes for drink include in-season and exotic fruits, but it is not uncommon to add multiple number of fruit varieties to the drink as long as the hint of champagne is still present.

3) Sugar

While most fruits contain natural sugar, some cocktail recipes still demand the addition of a hint of sugar to add the necessary kick to a cocktail.

It might boil down to preference of the drinker in the end.

4) Coloring

Some more fun loving and funky social drinkers love to show off their drinks in public, and this is one of the reasons why many cocktails are designed to be as presentable and as visually attractive to the eye as possible.

While there are various colors available from the mixture of the cocktails themselves, it really wouldn’t hurt to include a pinch of coloring to the beverage to add a little playfulness.

5) Other alcoholic beverage

While mixing an alcoholic beverage with another alcoholic beverage is clearly asking for a severe hangover, there are a lot of variations of recipes for cocktails that include a part of champagne mixed with a part of another alcoholic beverage.

While this may be overkill for some, for most social drinkers this is a very welcome addition that can add flavor to a monotonous drink.

When and where to serve champagne cocktails?

As previously stated, champagne cocktails are perfect for informal and formal special occasions and events.

With the growing number of special events that are open for improvement nowadays, the introduction of a cocktail beverage really wouldn’t hurt the menu, and might be a very good inclusion to the list of beverages.

Cocktails are perfect for social events that require a sort of controlled crown, such as art gatherings, office parties, and meeting of professionals that need their wits present but might be helped with a hint of alcohol.

It is also perfect for such occasions as weddings, where good times and celebrations are helped by the serving of variations of the staple of traditional champagne.

Most parties have beer and heavy alcoholic beverages, but the addition of cocktails might help widen the variety of beverages available, especially if the crown also varies in age and background.

It is safe to say that cocktails can definitely strike the balance between alcohol lovers that might want to socially drink but does not want to get wasted enough from drinking too much alcohol.

How To Make Champagne Cocktails?

The preparation of champagne cocktails is extremely simple: all you need to remember as a general rule is to find a really good recipe for cocktail that might be perfect for the occasion and buy the ingredients.

Most of the ingredients included in the recipes for cocktail are commonly available in most supermarkets and groceries, and a quality sparkling wine is also very affordable.

As a general rule of thumb, it helps to remember that the essence of the champagne can be preserved by mixing all of the ingredients and then adding the sparkling wine as the last ingredient.

It is also very important to remember that there may be certain recipes for cocktails that might require additional tools for mixing, so it is best to learn about the different cocktail recipes first and make sure to taste test your creations before you attempt on serving them for a party.

What Are the Most Popular Champagne Cocktails?

While there are a lot of different varieties of cocktail recipes available for any occasion, some of the most popular choices are:

• The Classic Champagne Cocktail – which includes four bitters and a sugar cube dipped in cognac.
• Mimosa – which is basically champagne with orange juice.
• Kir Royale – which is made from champagne added with crème de cassis.
• And finally the Emma Peel – which is a combination of pineapple juice, cherry brandy and champagne.