Although alcohol sales and consumption have risen in the last six months, the champagne industry is feeling the effects of COVID-19, with parties, weddings and other celebrations cancelled to limit the spread of the virus. Champagne houses are now reporting that they will have up to 100 million bottles likely sitting in storage unsold by the end of 2020.
We’re doing our best to support them and other local wine makers through lockdown, but even we can’t save them single-handedly. So we thought we’d share some of our favourite champagne cocktail recipes so you can help too! Santé!
French 75
French 75, or French simply “soixante quinze”, dates to World War I. An early form was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris – later Harry’s New York Bar.
Pour 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar syrup and 50ml gin into a cocktail shaker then fill up with ice. Shake well then strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with a little champagne, leave to settle (as it will bubble up) then fill up with more champagne. Swirl gently with a cocktail stirrer then garnish with a strip of lemon zest. Drink two and then take a little nap.
Mimosa
Pour 75ml fresh clementine or orange juice into a champagne flute. Top with 75ml chilled champagne and serve. A Buck’s Fizz is is very similar to the Mimosa, but is made of two parts champagne to one part juice. Makes drinking at breakfast-time totally acceptable.
Champagne cocktail
Place a sugar cube with 2 dashes of bitters in a large champagne glass, add 100ml cognac. Gently pour in 90ml chilled champagne and a few drops of Grand Marnier (optional). Garnish with orange zest and a maraschino cherry. Practically one of your “five a day”.
Aperitivo spritz
Drop a few ice cubes into the bottom of a wine glass. Pour 50ml aperitif (such as Aperol or Campari) into the glass followed by 25ml sparkling water and then fill up the glass with champagne. Garnish with a generous slice of orange. The perfect sunny day day-drinking tipple, best sipped poolside or while people-watching.
More cocktail collections
For more great champagne cocktail recipes, try these links:
Esquire Magazine’s Champagne Cocktails
Quotable champagne quotes
“I’ll drink your champagne. I’ll drink every drop of it, I don’t care if it kills me.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne.” – Bette Davis
“I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate… and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“Why do I drink Champagne for breakfast? Doesn’t everyone?” – Noel Coward
“I only drink Champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.” – Coco Chanel
“In a perfect world, everyone would have a glass of Champagne every evening.” – Willie Gluckstern
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” – Mark Twain
“Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!” – Dom Pérignon
“Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!” – Winston Churchill
“Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life.” – Charles Dickens
“I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” –Lily Bollinger
