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For a festive holiday drink recipe or to add some sparkle to any brunch or happy hour, try this easy Champagne Cocktail recipe. It’s a showy yet remarkably simple low-alcohol cocktail idea. It’s perfect for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve celebration!
Cheers to a festive drink recipe that won’t leave you with a headache tomorrow! Many mixed drink recipes clock in at a high ABV (alcohol by volume). This Champagne Cocktail, in contrast, is essentially dressed-up sparkling wine; naturally one of the least boozy wine options available.
Still festive, beautiful, and tasty yet easy to make and to enjoy, this Champagne Cocktail is destined to become your signature drink recipe. It’s already become mine.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Angostura bitters: This classic cocktail ingredient can be found at many liquor stores, wine shops, large supermarkets, and online.
- Dry sparkling wine: Yes, even though this is called a “Champagne Cocktail,” it can be made with nearly any sparkling wine that errs on the “brut champagne” (dry) side of the sweetness spectrum. See “Recipe FAQs” below for more about the different varieties of sparkling wine.
- Sugar cube: Simple syrup or honey will work fine as a substitute.
- Starfruit: A lemon twist is the traditional garnish on a classic Champagne Cocktail, but I love how unique a festive slice of fresh starfruit looks. Or, substitute a citrus twist.
Step-by-step instructions
- To the bottom of a champagne flute, add sugar cube. Sprinkle sugar cube with 5 dashes of Angostura bitters.
- Top with a pour of dry sparkling wine and garnish with a starfruit slice.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 cocktail. Each full bottle of sparkling wine should yield about 5 cocktails.
- Glassware: Champagne Cocktails are best prepared in Champagne flutes or other stemmed glassware, such as a coupe glass.
- Big batch: Champagne cocktails are best prepared individually so the bubbles remains fresh. For each bottle of Champagne, you can make about 5 cocktails, so stock up accordingly.
- Bellini: Omit the sugar cube and bitters and reduce Champagne to 3 ounces. Add 2 ½ ounces peach nectar or juice and garnish with a peach slice.
- Kir Royale: Omit the sugar cube and bitters and add ½ ounce (1 tbsp) creme de cassis. Garnish with a lemon slice or fresh blackberries.
- Classic Mimosa: Omit the sugar cube and bitters and reduce Champagne to 3 ounces. Add 3 ounces orange juice and garnish with an orange slice.
Frequently Asked Questions
This specific form of sparkling wine can only be named Champagne with a capital “C” if the grapes are grown in a specific region in France. It must also be made using the “Methode Traditionelle” of sparkling wine production and can only contain three types of grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Champagne with a lowercase “c” is allowed to bend those rules, and as a result, is often more affordable. Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco are also lovely alternatives if Champagnes fall outside of your budget.
If you’re looking for more ways to brighten up the flavors of your bubbly, consider fresh fruit, fruit juice, or other liqueurs. Cranberries or cranberry juice is a popular addition, but feel free to make it your own with pineapple juice, fresh lemon juice, or lime juice. It’s okay to add ice, too (I don’t mind if you don’t).
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Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube
- 5 dashes Angostura bitters (see note 1)
- 5 ounces dry sparkling wine such as Champagne, Prosecco, or Cava (see note 2)
- 1 slice star fruit or lemon twist, for garnish (see note 3)
Instructions
- To the bottom of a champagne flute, add sugar cube. Sprinkle sugar cube with 5 dashes Angostura bitters.
- Top with dry sparkling wine and garnish with a starfruit slice.
Notes
- Angostura bitters: This classic cocktail ingredient can be found at many liquor stores, wine shops, large supermarkets, and online.
- Dry sparkling wine: Yes, even though this is called a “Champagne Cocktail,” it can be made with nearly any sparkling wine that errs on the “brut” (dry) side of the sweetness spectrum. See “Recipe FAQs” below for more about the different varieties of sparkling wine.
- Starfruit: A lemon twist is the traditional garnish on a Champagne Cocktail, but I love how unique a festive a slice of fresh starfruit looks. Or, substitute an orange twist.
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 cocktail. Each full bottle of sparkling wine should yield about 5 cocktails.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.