Sparkling wine cocktails have a flavor combination worth celebrating. The delicate bubbles of the sparkling wine dance across the tongue, highlighting the flavors in the cocktail. Some sparkling wine cocktail recipes are simple — adding a liqueur or bitters to the sparkling wine base. Others include a medley of complex ingredients, topped with bubbles — not to be confused with the soda water/bitter liquid concoction of spritzes. You can use Champagne, prosecco, cava, or another sparkling wine to make sparkling cocktails, depending on the recipe and your taste.
Three Major Types of Sparkling Wine
Champagne – Although it’s often used interchangeably with the term sparkling wine, Champagne is a protected appellation. It can only be produced in the Champagne region of France following traditional methods and only permitted to be made with specific grape varieties — most often Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. Non-vintage Champagne is aged for a minimum of 15 months, vintages have to be aged for a minimum of 3 years. Champagne often has a blanched flavor with delicate bubbles. French sparkling wines everywhere from outside of the Champagne region are referred to as Cremant.
Prosecco – The Italian sparkling wine has a unique flavor and aroma, with larger bubbles than Champagne. That’s because it’s made using the tank method with Glera grapes. Its fresh, fruity flavor makes it a popular choice for casual celebrations. Prosecco is also slightly lower in alcohol content than Champagne. Moscato is another type of Italian sparkling wine that typically has a lighter body and more fruit forward.
Cava – The Spanish sparkling wine is made like Champagne but in Catalonia. It uses local grapes and occasionally more common varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cava is aged for a minimum of 18 months. Often more affordable than Champagne, it’s a worthy substitute for the French bubbly. It comes in a range of sweetness.
How Are Sparkling Wines Categorized?
Sparkling wines and Champagnes come in different categories based on their sugar levels, namely Extra Brut (driest), Brut (dry), Extra Dry (medium dryness), Sec (sweet), and Demi-sec (sweetest). It can be a bit perplexing, but remember that in the world of wine, “dry” means the opposite of “sweet.” The most popular style of sparkling wine, including Champagne, is Brut (pronounced “broot”), which offers a refreshing and dry taste. So if you’re looking for a sparkling wine that’s crisp and not too sweet, Brut is a great choice.
1. Champagne Cocktail
The classic Champagne Cocktail dates to 1862. A sugar cube and Angostura bitters enhance Champagne’s dry and sweet components.
2. French 75
Named after the French artillery shell, the French 75 has been delivering an explosion of flavor since its inception in 1915 Paris. The recipes can vary in this Champagne cocktail, but the basis is always Cognac or gin, lemon juice, sugar cube, and Champagne to top.
3. Death In The Afternoon
Also known as the Hemingway Champagne, this bubbly cocktail is made with absinthe, simple syrup, and Champagne and is said to be the creation of Ernest Hemingway.
4. Kir Royale
A French classic Champagne cocktail, the berry liqueur Crème de Cassis adds sweetness and a mild tartness to bubbly Champagne.
5. Barbotage
Meaning “bubbly” in French, Barbotage is a Cognac and orange liqueur Champagne cocktail. It makes a delightful addition to brunch — a worthy substitute for a Mimosa.
6. Old Cuban
This Mojito-inspired Champagne cocktail is the brainchild of Audrey Saunders. It’s a mix of aged rum, mint leaves, lime juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and topped with Champagne.
7. Seelbach
A complex Champagne cocktail, the Seelbach hails from Kentucky. With bourbon, orange liqueur, Angostura & Peychaud bitters, and Champagne, the sophisticated sipper has become a mainstay in bars.
8. Boothby
The pre-Prohibition Boothby cocktail is a rye-based Champagne cocktail. The additional sweet vermouth, orange bitters, Angostura bitters, and Champagne topping come together for a complex, bubbly cocktail.
9. Ritz Cocktail
The Ritz cocktail combines sophisticated ingredients for an elegant Champagne cocktail with the perfect amount of fizz. You’ll need Cognac, orange liqueur, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and Champagne.
10. Prince Of Wales
Spicy rye, aromatic Angostura bitters, tropical pineapple, complex maraschino liqueur, lemon, and sugar are topped with Champagne in the Prince of Wales cocktail. It’s believed that Queen Victoria’s son created the recipe. The sophisticated blend of flavors is certainly fit for royals.
11. The Last Laugh
