Christmas and New Yearβs Eve are around the corner, and that means youβll have to decide on what to serve your guests. If youβre the one throwing a party for family or friends, youβll need to pick which beverage to serve on these momentous occasions.
The usual choice would be champagne, but why go for the same old bubbly straight from the bottle? Have your bubbly brought to you by aΒ Champagne gift delivery serviceΒ now and spice up your holiday toasts with any of these 5 champagne cocktails.
1. Mango Bellini
TheΒ BelliniΒ was invented in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, head bartender and owner of Harryβs Bar in Venice. He named the drink such as its pinkish color reminded him of the color of a saintβs clothing in one of Italian artist Giovanni Belliniβs paintings.
While his original recipe remains one of Italyβs most well-known cocktails, this one comes with a tropical twist by using mango instead of peaches.
Ingredients:
1 ripe mango
100ml Champagne
Method:
Peel and slice off the flesh of the mango and place in a blender. Add the champagne and blend until the mixture is a smooth puree. Divide the portion into 2 champagne flutes. Slowly pour more champagne to each flute if desired, but pause as the cocktail bubbles up.
2. French 75
This French invention was created as an homage to the French armyβs powerful 75Β mm field gun in WW1. Its original recipe was more powerful as it was made with gin, apple brandy, grenadine and lemon juice in a cocktail glass. Also called βsoixante quinzeββ French for the number 75, this cocktail is world-famous, but its history is often misquoted. You canΒ read more about this interesting cocktailβs historyΒ and discover why one famous bartender said it βhits with remarkable precisionβ.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Sugar syrup
50ml gin
Champagne
Ice
Method:
In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, sugar syrup, and gin. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a champagne flute, topping it with some champagne. The amount of champagne isnβt exact, as youβll have to add only as much to fill the flute. Add the champagne slowly, as the mixture will bubble up; let the liquid settle before adding more.Β
3. Champagne Mojito
A famous cocktail from Cuba, the mojito is one of the worldβs oldest alcoholic concoctions. It was invented by English privateer Sir Francis Drake, who sailed to Havana with the intention of pillaging its gold. The effort was a failure, and to make matters worse, many of his crew got sick with scurvy and dysentery. Drake sent a small landing party ashore in Cuba to get ingredients for medicine. The landing party returned with a concoction taught to them by the local Indians. It consisted of aguarediente de cana, literally translated, βfirewater of the sugar cane.β This sort-of moonshine, along with mint leaves, lime juice, and sugar cane juice was named βEl Draqueβ to honor Drake.
It wouldnβt be called the mojito until many years later in the 1800s, when the name was adopted by the Bacardi company, and the sugar cane moonshine was replaced with Bacardiβs rum. The name βmojitoβ was enshrined after Ernest Hemingway discovered the drink in Cubaβs world-famousΒ La Bodeguita del Medio. A drink with this much heritage with some champagne can make a refreshing twist to the toasting this holiday.
Ingredients:
Mint leaves
Ice cubes
25ml white rum
Juice of half a lime
1 tsp sugar syrup
A dash of Angostura bitters
Champagne
Method:
In a wine glass, place a few ice cubes. Take 5 mint leaves in the palm of one hand, and clap your other hand on them to release the leavesβ flavor. Place the leaves in the wine glass then pour in the rum, lime juice, and sugar syrup. Add a dash or two of the Angostura bitters. Gently stir the mixture, slowly topping it off with the champagne.
4. Confetti Champagne
Whatβs a New Yearβs Eve party without confetti and booze? This champagne cocktail lets your party enjoy both. Try this simple recipe for a very festive drink. Β
Ingredients:
A wedge of lime
175ml of Vanilla-flavored vodka
1 bottle of champagne
1 liter Sprite
1/3 Cup Pop Rocks (all flavors)
Method:
Chill the champagne first. Then on a small plate, spread all the pop rocks candy. Mix them with a fork. Take each highball glass or similar tall glass, and wet each of their rims with the lime wedge. Dip the rims in the pop rocks. Do this until all the glass rims are coated with a thick layer of the candy. Pour in about 30ml of the Vanilla-flavored vodka into each glass. Pour an even amount of champagne in all the glasses, using up the bottle. Top with Sprite and serve cold.Β
5. Winter Wonder
Apart from champagne, the main component of this cocktail is blue curaαΈao. This is actually an orange liqueur thatβs been dyed blue. Its patent deep-blue hue doesnβt and wonβt change the taste, so you can expect to taste the orange flavor. The origins of this curious liqueur are conflicting. Some say the original creator is Dutch spirits brand Bols, credited with making blue curaαΈao in the 1920s. Other sources claim it was Senior CuraαΈao of CuraαΈao that made the liqueur on the very island of CuraαΈao and was the first to dye it blue. Whichever story is true, both Senior CuraαΈao and Bols still make this alcoholic add-on today.
Try this recipe to create a truly wintry drink for the upcoming holidays.
Ingredients:
22ml Blue CuraαΈao
8ml grenadine
Crushed ice
120ml Champagne
Maraschino cherry
Method:
In a shaker filled ΒΌ of the way with crushed ice, combine the blue CuraαΈao with the grenadine and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a champagne flute, and top with the champagne. Garnish the cocktail with a cherry on top.
Celebrating the holidays doesnβt have to be done with plain old champagne. These are just a small sample of the many possible cocktails you can make with champagne, fruit, other liqueurs, and a little creativity. You also donβt have to worry about running out of champagne, as you can always βgiftβ yourself or your party hosts with more bubbly from a champagne delivery service.Β Β
