9 Champagne Cocktails for New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve calls for drinks that feel celebratory, and nothing says celebration quite like champagne. These nine cocktails take sparkling wine beyond the flute and turn it into something memorable, whether you want a classic that never goes out of style or a fruity twist that photographs well.

Most of these come together in under five minutes, so you can mix them as guests arrive instead of spending the afternoon behind the bar. A few scale up easily into pitchers or punch bowls, which means less work for you and more time to enjoy the party.

1. Classic Champagne Cocktail

This is the original champagne cocktail, the one bartenders were making in the 1800s before anyone thought to add fruit juice or liqueurs. A sugar cube soaked in bitters sits at the bottom of the glass, and the cognac and champagne pour over it.

The sugar dissolves slowly, so the drink changes as you sip it, starting sweet and finishing drier. The bitters add a subtle spice that keeps the champagne from tasting too sweet, and the cognac gives it enough body to feel like a real cocktail instead of a glass of bubbly with a garnish.

Ingredients

• 1 white sugar cube
• 2 dashes bitters
• 20ml/¾fl oz cognac
• enough champagne to fill the glass

Instructions

1. Place the sugar cube on a spoon and add the bitters.
2. Drop the soaked sugar cube into a champagne flute and pour in the cognac.
3. Top up the glass with champagne and serve.

Serves 1. Ready in 5 minutes.

2. French 75

The French 75 is a gin sour topped with champagne, and it hits harder than it looks. The name comes from a World War I artillery gun, which tells you everything you need to know about the kick.

Lemon juice and simple syrup balance the gin, and the champagne lightens the whole thing so it goes down easy. Serve it in a Collins glass with ice, not a flute, so the citrus and bubbles have room to mix.

Ingredients

• 2 fluid ounces lemon juice
• 2 fluid ounces gin
• 2 teaspoons simple syrup
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 4 fluid ounces chilled Champagne
• 1 lemon or orange slice for garnish
• 1 maraschino cherry for garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the lemon juice, gin, and simple syrup into a Collins glass. Drop in ice cubes, fill with Champagne, and stir.
2. Garnish with a slice of lemon or orange and a maraschino cherry.

Serves 1. Ready in 5 minutes.

3. Kir Royale

The Kir Royale is champagne with a splash of crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur that turns the drink a deep pink and adds a berry sweetness. It is simple, pretty, and takes about thirty seconds to make.

The cassis sinks to the bottom, so the first sip is the sweetest and the drink gets drier as you go. This is the drink to serve guests who do not usually like champagne because they find it too dry or too acidic.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon creme de cassis liqueur
• 6 fluid ounces chilled Champagne

Instructions

1. Pour the crème de cassis into a large Champagne flute or white wine glass. Top with Champagne.

Serves 1. Ready in 2 minutes.

4. Bellini

The Bellini is peach juice and sparkling wine, invented in Venice and still the best brunch cocktail ever made. The peach juice should be thick and sweet, almost like nectar, so it blends with the wine instead of separating.

A spoonful of raspberry juice at the bottom adds color and a little tartness, but you can skip it if you do not have raspberries on hand. This drink works for New Year’s Eve because it feels light and celebratory without being too sweet or too strong.

Ingredients

• 2 fluid ounces peach juice
• 4 fluid ounces chilled sparkling wine
• 1 tablespoon raspberry juice

Instructions

1. Pour the peach juice into a champagne flute. Slowly pour the sparkling wine over the peach juice and let it sit until the liquids blend, about 1 minute. Pour the raspberry juice over the champagne mixture.

Serves 1. Ready in 5 minutes.

5. Mimosa

The Mimosa is champagne and orange juice, half and half, served cold in a flute. It is the simplest cocktail on this list and the one everyone already knows how to make.

The trick is using fresh-squeezed orange juice instead of the carton stuff, because fresh juice has more flavor and less sugar, and it does not make the champagne taste flat. Mimosas work for New Year’s Eve because they are light, easy to drink, and you can set up a self-serve station so guests can pour their own.

6. Aperol Spritz

The Aperol Spritz is prosecco, Aperol, and a splash of soda, served over ice in a wine glass with an orange slice. Aperol is a bitter orange liqueur that tastes like citrus peel and herbs, and it turns the drink a bright coral color.

The bitterness balances the sweetness of the prosecco, and the soda lightens the whole thing so it is refreshing instead of heavy. This drink works for New Year’s Eve because it looks impressive, tastes complex, and is low enough in alcohol that people can drink two or three without getting sloppy.

Ingredients

• 4 ice cubes, or as desired
• 2 fluid ounces Prosecco
• 1 splash carbonated water
• 1 (1 1/2 fluid ounce) jigger Aperol (or other bitter orange aperitif)
• 1 slice orange

Instructions

1. Gather all your ingredients.
2. Fill a wine glass with ice cubes, then pour in the Prosecco and club soda.
3. Pour the Aperol on top and drop in an orange slice.

Serves 1. Ready in 5 minutes.

7. Champagne Margarita

The Champagne Margarita is tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and champagne, mixed right in the flute. It tastes like a margarita with bubbles, which sounds strange but works because the champagne cuts the sweetness of the triple sec and makes the whole drink lighter.

The lime juice keeps it tart, and the tequila gives it enough backbone to feel like a real cocktail. This is the drink to serve guests who want something different but still festive.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 oz Casa Noble Tequila
• 1 oz Triple Sec
• 3 oz Champagne

Instructions

1. Pour the lime juice, Casa Noble tequila, and triple sec into a champagne flute. Top it off with champagne and drop in a slice of fresh lime.

Serves 1. Ready in 5 minutes.

8. Poinsettia Cocktail

The Poinsettia is champagne, cranberry juice, and orange liqueur, and it turns a deep red that looks festive in the glass. The cranberry juice adds tartness, the orange liqueur adds sweetness, and the champagne keeps it from tasting like a juice box.

This drink works for New Year’s Eve because it is easy to batch and looks impressive when you serve it. Mix the cranberry juice, simple syrup, and orange liqueur in a shaker with ice, strain it into flutes, and top each one with champagne.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cranberry juice
• 3 ounces simple syrup
• 6 ounces orange liqueur, such as orange liqueur
• 1 bottle champagne, chilled
• 18 fresh cranberries

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the cranberry juice, simple syrup, and orange liqueur.
2. Shake well until the shaker is covered with condensation.
3. Strain the mixture, dividing it between 6 Champagne flutes.
4. Pour in the champagne, dividing it between the glasses.
5. Garnish each drink with 3 cranberries skewered on a cocktail pick.

Serves 6. Ready in 5 minutes.

9. St. Germain Champagne Cocktail

The St. Germain Champagne Cocktail is elderflower liqueur and champagne, and it tastes like flowers without being perfumy. St. Germain is sweet and floral, and it makes champagne taste softer and more approachable.

This is the drink to serve guests who want something light and pretty but still interesting. It is sweeter than most champagne cocktails, so it works well early in the evening or for people who do not usually drink dry sparkling wine.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces St. Germain liqueur
• 3 1/2 ounces dry champagne (or sparkling wine)
• Garnish: lemon peel, strawberries, or raspberries
• strawberries
• peach

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Pour 1/2 ounce St. Germain liqueur into each Champagne flute.
3. Pour in dry Champagne or sparkling wine to fill the glasses, about 3 1/2 ounces per glass, or to taste.
4. Drop a lemon twist, fresh strawberries, and/or peach slices into each glass, as desired.

Serves 4. Ready in 3 minutes.

What to Buy for a Champagne Cocktail Party

You do not need expensive champagne for cocktails. A mid-range brut prosecco or cava works just as well as French champagne and costs half as much.

For a party of ten people, plan on two bottles of sparkling wine per cocktail if everyone is drinking the same thing, or four bottles total if you are offering a few options. Most guests will drink two to three cocktails over the course of the evening, and each bottle makes about six drinks.

Liqueurs and Spirits

• Crème de cassis: Buy a small bottle. A little goes a long way, and it lasts for months in the fridge.
• Aperol: A 750 ml bottle makes about 15 spritzes. It does not go bad, so you can keep it in the bar for the next party.
• St. Germain: One bottle makes about 12 cocktails. It is expensive, but the flavor is worth it.
• Cognac: Buy a mid-range bottle. You are only using 20 ml per drink, so the difference between cheap and expensive does not matter much.
• Gin: Any London dry gin works for a French 75. Skip the fancy stuff.
• Tequila: Use a blanco or reposado. The champagne covers up the flavor, so save the good tequila for margaritas.
• Orange liqueur: Cointreau tastes better than triple sec, but either one works.

Juices and Mixers

• Lemon juice: Squeeze it fresh the day of the party. Bottled lemon juice tastes flat.
• Lime juice: Same rule. Fresh is better.
• Cranberry juice: Buy 100% cranberry juice, not cranberry cocktail. The cocktail version is too sweet.
• Peach juice: Look for peach nectar in the juice aisle. It is thicker and sweeter than regular peach juice.
• Orange juice: Fresh-squeezed tastes better, but carton juice works if you are making mimosas for a crowd.
• Soda water: Buy a few bottles or use a SodaStream if you have one.

How to Prep Ahead for a Champagne Cocktail Party

Most champagne cocktails come together in under five minutes, but you can do some of the work ahead of time so you are not stuck behind the bar all night. Make simple syrup by heating equal parts sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool. Store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Juice your lemons and limes the morning of the party and keep them in the fridge in a sealed container. Fresh juice tastes better than bottled, and it only takes ten minutes to squeeze enough for a dozen drinks.

What You Can Batch

• Poinsettia base: Mix the cranberry juice, simple syrup, and orange liqueur in a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. Shake it with ice and strain it into flutes right before you add the champagne.
• French 75 base: Combine the lemon juice, gin, and simple syrup in a pitcher. Pour it over ice in glasses and top with champagne when guests arrive.
• Aperol Spritz: Mix the prosecco, Aperol, and soda in a pitcher and keep it cold. Pour it over ice in wine glasses and add the orange slices.

What You Cannot Batch

• Classic Champagne Cocktail: The sugar cube needs to soak in bitters right before you serve it, or it dissolves too much.
• Kir Royale: The cassis sinks to the bottom, so you need to pour it into each glass individually.
• Bellini: The peach juice and sparkling wine separate if they sit too long. Mix them right before you serve.

Ice and Glassware

Plan on one pound of ice per guest if you are serving drinks over ice, like the Aperol Spritz or the French 75. Buy it the day before and store it in a cooler so your freezer does not run out of space.

You do not need a different glass for every drink. Champagne flutes work for most of these cocktails, and wine glasses work for the Aperol Spritz.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

• The champagne goes flat too fast: Open bottles right before you pour, not an hour ahead. If you are batching drinks, add the champagne last and serve immediately.
• The drinks are too sweet: Use dry sparkling wine, not sweet, and cut back on the liqueur or juice by half an ounce. Taste as you go.
• The drinks are too strong: Add more champagne or soda water to lighten them. Most of these cocktails are flexible, so you can adjust the ratios to suit your guests.
• The sugar cube does not dissolve: Use a white sugar cube, not brown, and make sure it is fully soaked in bitters before you drop it in the glass. It will dissolve slowly as the drink sits.
• The Bellini separates: Use thick peach nectar instead of thin peach juice, and pour the sparkling wine slowly so it blends with the nectar instead of sitting on top.
• The Aperol Spritz tastes watery: Use less soda water. The drink should be mostly prosecco and Aperol, with just a splash of soda to lighten it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use prosecco instead of champagne?

Yes. Prosecco is cheaper and works just as well in cocktails. The main difference is that champagne has smaller bubbles and a drier finish, but most people will not notice the difference once you add juice or liqueur.

How do I keep champagne cold without watering it down?

Chill the bottles in the fridge for at least three hours before the party, and keep them in an ice bucket while you are serving. If you are making drinks over ice, like the Aperol Spritz, the ice will melt a little, but that is fine because the drink is supposed to be light and refreshing.

What is the best champagne for cocktails?

Buy a dry sparkling wine labeled brut or extra brut. Avoid anything labeled sweet, demi-sec, or doux, because the liqueurs and juices add enough sugar on their own.

Can I make these cocktails without alcohol?

Yes, but you will need to replace the sparkling wine with something that has bubbles and a little tartness. Sparkling apple cider works for most of these drinks, and sparkling water with a splash of white grape juice works for the rest.

How far ahead can I prep the ingredients?

Juice your citrus the morning of the party and keep it in the fridge. Make simple syrup up to a week ahead. Mix the non-bubbly parts of batched drinks up to two hours ahead, but do not add the champagne until right before you serve.

What garnishes do I need?

Lemon and orange slices work for most of these drinks. Fresh cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries look festive and add a little flavor.