Holiday dinner party hosts know: You can't control everything. Sometimes the oven goes on strike just as your guests arrive; sometimes your soufflé has all the promise and none of the poof. Come kitchen calamities as they may, as long as you've got good friends and great spirits, your celebration will be a success with a tasty toast.
To help you with the spirits side, we're sharing a step-by-step guide to three Champagne cocktails: the classic Champagne cocktail, a French 75 and a Rosemary-infused pomegranate sparkler.
Watch below as ICE's Director of Beverage Studies Anthony Caporale shares how to prepare each one — then put a few bottles of bubbly on ice, and watch your party go from festive to fantastic.
Bubbly tips from ICE Beverage Director Anthony Caporale
- Never shake a drink that contains Champagne or any carbonated beverage, as the mixing glass may explode out of the cocktail shaker.
- Pour Champagne down the side of the glass to decrease the amount of head; pour it into the center of the glass to increase the amount of head.
- Liquids lose carbonation as they warm up, so keep your Champagne bottle on ice after opening to help maintain the bubbles.
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Champagne
- Strawberry or lemon
Directions
- Place a sugar cube into a Champagne coupe.
- Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters to the sugar cube.
- Fill glass with Champagne.
- Garnish with a sliced strawberry or lemon twist.
French 75
Yields 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
- Champagne
- Lemon twist
Directions
- Fill cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add gin, simple syrup and lemon juice, and shake.
- Pour mixture into a champagne flute.
- Top with Champagne.
- Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Rosemary-Infused Pomegranate Sparkler
Yields 1 cocktail
Ingredients:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups boiling hot water
- 1 bunch fresh rosemary
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
- Champagne
- Pomegranate seeds
Directions
- Add sugar and water together in a pitcher.
- Add rosemary and stir; allow to infuse for one hour.
- To a glass, add pomegranate juice and 1 ounce of the rosemary-infused simple syrup.
- Top with Champagne.
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Taste and pair wine or mix cocktails like a pro with ICE’s wine and beverage programs.
