Champagne cocktails: 7 easy sparkling drinks to make at home

Sparkling wine cocktails are the easiest way to make a celebration feel special. Most need just two or three ingredients and take seconds to make. You don’t need expensive Champagne either: Prosecco, Cava and Crémant all work brilliantly. Here are seven classics everyone should know.

Which fizz to use?

• Champagne: dry, toasty and elegant. Best for drinks where the wine is the star, such as the Classic Champagne Cocktail or a French 75.
• Prosecco: fruity and soft. Perfect for a Bellini or an Aperol Spritz.
• Cava or Crémant: dry, crisp and great value. A brilliant all-rounder for mixing.

For most cocktails, a good Cava like Freixenet Cordon Negro or a Prosecco like La Gioiosa Prosecco Brut is ideal. Save your best Champagne for drinking on its own.

1. The Classic Champagne Cocktail

A timeless, elegant drink that’s been around since the 1800s.

• 1 sugar cube
• 2–3 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 15ml Cognac or brandy
• Chilled Champagne to top up

Place the sugar cube in a flute and soak it with bitters. Add the Cognac, then slowly top up with Champagne. Garnish with a twist of orange peel. Courvoisier VS is a great Cognac for this.

2. Kir Royale

Rich, fruity and very French. Simply pour 10–15ml of crème de cassis into a flute and top up with chilled Champagne or Crémant. Giffard Crème de Cassis is a lovely, fruity choice. For a twist, swap the cassis for Giffard Crème de Mûre (blackberry) or Chambord (raspberry).

3. French 75

Named after a First World War field gun, this is a zesty, punchy classic.

• 30ml gin
• 15ml fresh lemon juice
• 10ml sugar syrup
• Chilled Champagne to top up

Shake the gin, lemon and sugar syrup with ice, strain into a flute and top up with Champagne. Tanqueray London Dry Gin works perfectly.

4. Bellini

Created at Harry’s Bar in Venice. Purée a ripe white peach (or use good peach purée), add about 30ml to a flute and slowly top up with Prosecco, stirring gently. Prosecco’s soft fruitiness is perfect here. Try Bottega Il Vino dei Poeti.

5. Aperol Spritz

The taste of an Italian summer. Use the simple 3-2-1 rule:

• 3 parts Prosecco
• 2 parts Aperol
• 1 part soda water

Pour over plenty of ice in a large wine glass and garnish with a slice of orange. You’ll need Aperol and a bottle of Our Selection Prosecco.

6. Mimosa

The brunch favourite. Mix equal parts chilled fizz and fresh orange juice in a flute, adding the fizz first so it doesn’t foam over. Add a splash of Cointreau for a Grand Mimosa.

7. Port and Tonic Royale

A fun twist on the classic port and tonic. Mix 50ml Graham’s Fine White Port with a splash of tonic over ice, then top up with sparkling wine and add a sprig of mint.

Tips for perfect sparkling cocktails

• Chill everything: the fizz, the glasses and the other ingredients.
• Add the fizz last: pour slowly and stir gently to keep the bubbles.
• Never shake sparkling wine: shake the other ingredients, then top up.
• Use fresh juice: it makes a huge difference.

Non-alcoholic options

For guests who aren’t drinking, a non-alcoholic sparkling wine makes a great base. Oddbird Blanc de Blancs is a dry, elegant alcohol-free sparkling Chardonnay.

FAQs

Can you use Prosecco instead of Champagne in cocktails?

Yes. Prosecco is softer and fruitier, which suits Bellinis and Spritzes particularly well.

What’s the most popular Champagne cocktail?

The Kir Royale and the Classic Champagne Cocktail are the most famous; the Aperol Spritz is the most popular sparkling drink overall.

Read our guide to serving Champagne for more tips.