Friday 13 December 2013

Champagne Cocktails

a glass of Champagne cocktail
©
Here are three easy-to-make (and easy to drink!) Champagne cocktails that Mr O and I enjoy for special occasions such as Christmas. They can all be made with Cava or any other dry sparkling wine for a cheaper alternative.

Classic Champagne Cocktail 
Serves approx 16 people 

This is family favourite cocktail, which has been passed down to me by my dad. The recipe was a closely guarded secret, until recently, but I persuaded him to let me have the recipe and share it on my blog. It tastes delicious and is easy to drink too much of
  • 1 part/100ml/ ⅓ cup Cognac or Brandy (the cheap stuff is fine!) 
  • 3 parts/300ml/1 cup Cointreau/Triple Sec or any other orange liqueur 
  • 6 parts/600ml/2 cups good quality orange juice
  • Angostura Bitters (optional)
  • Chilled Champagne/Cava 
I serve this when entertaining friends and family, so I make the base up in advance with the brandy, orange liqueur, orange juice and around 10 shakes of bitters in a litre jug - this makes enough for around 16 glasses, using 2 bottles of Champagne/Cava). If you want to make an individual cocktail, use a desert-spoon (10ml) for each part/measure. 

Make the base mixture up and stir well
Pour ⅓ of a glass each. 
Top up each glass with Champagne and enjoy!

Alternatives: The base itself also makes a delicious cocktail served on the rocks.
Try a Granita Champagne Cocktail  in the summer - make the base up as before and freeze in a plastic tub over night (it won't set hard due to the alcohol content). Break up roughly with a fork and fill ½ a Champagne glass each. 
Top up with very well chilled Champagne or Cava.

Bucks Fizz:
  • Chilled Champagne/Cava 
  • Good quality orange juice 
Pour ⅓ to ½ of a glass of orange juice into a Champagne glass, top up with Champagne.
Non alcoholic/virgin version: Mix lemonade/sparkling water & good quality orange juice.

Kir Royale

  • Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur -  use any other berry liqueur as an alternative)) 
  • Chilled Champagne/Cava 
Pour 1 tbsp of Cassis into the bottom of a Champagne glass. Top up with chilled Champagne and serve.
Non alcoholic/virgin version: Mix lemonade/sparkling water & high-juice blackcurrant cordial.

How to open and pour Champagne
These tips may seem obvious, however I thought they were worth mentioning for those who rarely drink sparkling wines...
  • Make sure that the sparkling wine has been chilled for at least a few hours before opening. 
  • Carefully remove the foil and wire cage, without shaking the bottle.
  • Place a clean tea towel over the bottle. 
  • Grip the bottle under the cloth with one hand, whilst gently twisting and lifting the cork with the other hand over the cloth, until the cork pops. 
  • Leave for a minute before pouring to allow the bubbles to subside.
  • Tip the glass at a slight angle and pour the bottle slowly, to avoid any spillage!
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2 comments:

  1. Oh that does sound good! Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jac. After seeing your cocktail recipe, I thought I should have a go too!

      Delete

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