Pop mabhodlela, pop champagne this New Year’s Eve with these bubbly cocktail recipes
Is it even New Year’s without some celebratory fizz?
Think about every festive occasion you have attended over the years, and bubbly is probably the drink of choice for many of the guests attending the party.
I was watching the latest season of “Emily In Paris”, and they reminded me how bubbly is a fun beverage, one that should be enjoyed whether by drinking or simply just spraying it like they do on the F1 podium.
In light of it being party season and everyone excited to toast to a new year, why not take it a step further and have fun trying these bubbly recipes for your friends?
Whether it’s Prosecco, Cava, MCC or Champagne, all bubbles can be made even more special by using them as a base for cocktails.
We gave you our picks for the best bubbly of the festive season, which you can read here.
Now it’s time for those New Year’s party appropriate bubbly cocktails
Death in the Afternoon (Serves 1)
Is a cocktail made up of absinthe and Champagne invented by world-renowned author Ernest Hemingway. Fairly simple to make, the recipe's original instructions appear in a 1935 cocktail book and were contributed to Hemingway himself.
Ingredients
30ml (2 tablespoons) absinthe
1 teaspoon simple syrup
120ml (½ cup) Sparkling Wine
Method
Pour the absinthe and simple syrup into a cocktail glass or champagne flute
Top it off with the sparkling wine.
French 75
Dating back to 1915, this cocktail was first made at the landmark New York Bar in Paris, and the combination was said to have a real kick by locals of the bar. Using a rose adds a lighter and colourful twist to this classic cocktail.
Ingredients
45ml Gin
15ml of lemon juice
7ml of simple syrup (Make simple syrup with equal parts hot water and sugar)
Sparkling Rosé
Lemon for garnishing
Method
Measure the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with the jigger and pour into the mixing glass of the cocktail mixer.
Cover mixture with ice and shake for 8-10 seconds.
Strain with a cocktail strainer and pour into a champagne flute and top with Sparkling Rosé.
To Serve
Serve in a champagne flute and garnish with a peel of lemon.
Champagne and Gin Cocktail (Serves 1)
Ingredients
50ml Gin
50ml Fresh Pear Juice
20ml honey syrup (1:1 - 1 part honey - 1 part water)
Sparkling Wine
Method
Mix gin, juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker
Pour in a champagne flute
Top with the sparkling wine
Garnish with a sprig of Rosemary.
Classic Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients
1 sugar cube
2-3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
Champagne or MCC
Lemon, peeled
Method
Add one sugar cube.
Add two-to-three dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters.
Top glass with champagne.
Garnish with a lemon peel.
For More Festive Recipes, Please Check Out The Latest IOL Food magazine