10 champagne drink recipes for New Year’s Eve

All over the world New Year’s Eve is a night of celebration – and champagne! But what champagne, champagne-cocktails and drinks should you serve to your guests? Read on to find the editorial staff’s top 10 list of excellent cocktail recipes where champagne is a vital component in both experience and taste.

1. Champagne Cocktail

• Place a sugar cube in a cooled champagne glass (flute glass recommended).
• Add 2-3 splashes of Angostura bitter.
• Top up with champagne (or other bubbles) and garnish with a lemon twist.

2. Air Mail

• 6 cl golden rum
• 1.5 cl lime juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 15 cl champagne

Pour Rum, lime juice and honey in a shaker with crushed ice; shake firmly. Without using a strainer, pour the contents of the shaker into a collins glass. Top up with champagne.

3. Mimosa

Fill a flute-style champagne glass with 2/3 freshly pressed orange juice. Top up with champagne.

4. Jubal Early Punch

• 2.5 dl white sugar
• 2.5 dl lemon juice
• 3 dl still water
• 12 cl dark rum
• 3.5 dl brandy or cognac
• 1 bottle of champagne (brut)

In a punch bowl, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice and water. Add rum and brandy/cognac, and carefully stir the ingredients. Place in the cooler until you are ready to serve. When it is time to serve the punch, add the champagne and as many ice cubes the punch bowl will hold.

5. Black Velvet

Fill a Collins glass halfway with a Stout or Porter beer. Top up with champagne and very carefully stir the content of the glass, without destroying the bubbles.

6. Barbotage (New Years Favorite)

• 2 cl cognac
• 1 tsp Grand Marnier
• 12 cl champagne (brut)

Pour cognac (or brandy) and Grand Marnier into a flute-style champagne glass. Top up with champagne.

7. Champagne Punch

• 1 bottle Champagne (brut)
• 5 cl brandy or cognac
• 5 cl Cointreau
• 0.5 l sparkling water
• The zest from 1 orange (avoid the bitter, white part)
• Pineapple slices (use fresh pineapple!) according to your own preference
• Orange slices (use fresh oranges!) according to your own preference
• Mint leaves (fresh)
• Strawberries (fresh)

All the ingredients are mixed in a punch bowl, together with a mountain of ice cubes. Garnish with lots of fresh pineapple and oranges. Add loads of mint for freshness, and strawberries for even more fanciness and extra taste.

8. Red Sparkling Punch

• 1 dl white sugar
• 1 bottle of red wine (use a decent red wine, but avoid the really cheap og really expensive stuff)
• 1.5 dl brandy or cognac
• 2 bottles of champagne (brut)
• 1 l. sparkling water
• 2 oranges
• Strawberries

In a punch bowl, dissolve the sugar in the red wine. Add brandy/cognac, stir, and carefully add the champagne and the sparkling water. Add a large block of ice in the punch. Cut the orange in thin slices, and add them to the punch, together with the strawberries.

9. Atomic Champagne Cocktail

• 5 cl vodka
• 5 cl brandy
• 1 tsp sherry
• 5 cl champagne (brut)

Stir vodka, brandy and sherry thoroughly with lots of ice. Through a strainer, pour the mix into a cooled glass, and top up with champagne.

10. French 75 (inspired by Mad Men)

• 6 cl London Dry Gin
• 1 tsp white sukker
• 1.5 cl lemon juice
• 15 cl champagne (brut)

Shake gin, sugar and lemon juice hard with lots of ice. Strain the mix into a Collins glass filled half up with crushed ice. Top up with champagne.

Happy New Year!