Champagne and Wedding Celebrations, A Match Made in Heaven.

Although We LOVE champagne on it’s own, it’s sometimes fun to add a few ingredients and create a fun sparkling cocktail. The possible combinations are limitless, with a few small additions, a simple glass of champagne can become your wedding or honeymoon signature cocktail. So, get ready to celebrate by popping a bottle of champagne and creating one of these classic champagne cocktails.  Better yet, have your favorite bartender at you honeymoon destination create it for you!

1. Champagne Cocktail 
Soak a sugar cube in bitters, drop it into a flute, fill the flute with Champagne.
This simple, classic drink dates back to at least the mid-19th century.

2. Kir Royale 
1 part creme de cassis (A sweet red blackcurrant flavored liqueur.)
5 parts Champagne

Pour creme de cassis into a glass and gently pour champagne on top.

3. French 75
1 lemon
3 tablespoons gin
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon simple syrup
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup dry sparkling wine, such as brut Champagne, chilled

Using a zester or paring knife, slice peel from lemon in long, thin spiral. Reserve lemon for another use and set peel aside.
In cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.
Curl lemon peel around finger to create twist at least 6 inches long. Garnish drink with twist and serve immediately.


4. Black Velvet

Stout Beer such as Guinness
Champagne (or sparkling wine)
Fill a highball glass halfway with beer. Pouring over a spoon into the glass, fill to the top with Champagne.

5. Bellini Cocktail
4 tablespoons white peach puree or peach nectar.
1 bottle Prosecco or Champagne, chilled
Place 1 tablespoon white peach puree into the bottom of a Champagne flute. Fill the glass with Prosecco or Champagne.

6. Champagne Flip
3/4 oz brandy
2 – 3 dashes Cointreau® orange liqueur
1/4 oz cream
1/4 oz sugar syrup
1 egg yolk
4 oz Champagne
1 pinch nutmeg

Shake brandy, cointreau, cream, sugar syrup and egg yolk over ice cubes in a shaker. Strain into a cocktail glass, and carefully fill with champagne. Sprinkle with nutmeg, and serve.

7. Poinsettia
1/2 ounce Cointreau or triple sec
Champagne (or sparkling wine)
3 ounce cranberry juice

Chill all of the ingredients beforehand. Pour the Cointreau and cranberry juice into a chilled Champagne flute and stir well. Top with Champagne.

8. Americana
3 dashes of Bitters
1 sugar cube
1 ounce bourbon
4 ounces chilled Champagne
1 tablespoon chopped or sliced canned peaches
Sprinkle the bitters over the sugar cube. Pour the bourbon into a chilled flute and top with the Champagne. Add the sugar cube and peaches.

9. Pimm’s Royale
1 1/2 ounces Pimm’s No. 1
3 ounces Brut Champagne (or sparkling wine)
cucumber, sliced
Orange, sliced
strawberry, quartered
mint garnish
Combine Pimm’s, fruits, and cucumber into a glass. Muddle gently, if desired. Add ice and top with Champagne.

10. D’Artagnan
1 tsp armagnac
1 tsp Grand Marnier® orange liqueur
3 tsp fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp simple syrup
3 oz chilled Champagne

Chill the teaspoon amounts of liquor in a mixing glass and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne, add strips of orange peel, and serve.

CHAMPAGNE TIPS
Always chill your sparkling wines. Keep them about 42-45 degrees F.

Don’t use cheap sparkling for cocktails. Good ingredients make a good drink.

Don’t use the highest end sparkling either. Drink your Dom straight.

Because most sparkling wine drinks are on the sweet side, use a dry sparkling [aka Brut].

Chill the glass [flute] ahead of time. Sparkling wine likes to be served well chilled.

Pour small amounts of sparkling in at a time to prevent foam over. Repeat until the glass is filled.

 

Source: Arizonaweddings.com