When it’s time to break out the bubbly, make sure you open the bottle the right way!

This Champagne Key at Gent Supply Co. eliminates foaming and spilling. It also makes opening champagne so simple that you won’t worry for a second that you’ll put someone’s eye out.

How to Open a Bottle of Champagne
Champagne Cocktail Recipes

The Oscars are upon us once again which means cocktails! What night out with the stars would be complete with out them?

This week’s drink was created by Kim Haasarud of Liquid Architecture. The cocktail, Moët’s “Golden Glamour” signature cocktail, will be served on the red carpet and inside of the Governor’s Ball.

It’s simple and delicious, made with a bit of passion fruit juice, a splash of vanilla liqueur for an exotic flavor, topped with Moët & Chandon Imperial, and finished with a sprig of mint.

Golden Glamour

4 oz. Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne
1/4 oz. Navan
1 1/2 oz. Passion Fruit Juice

Combine all ingredients in a champagne coupe. Top with fresh sprig of mint for garnish.

courtesy Moët & Chandon

more Oscar Cocktails
more drink of the week cocktails

It’s almost time to toast in 2010! So here are our bubbly picks to help you ring in the New Year.

Sparkling Wine Under $15

Korbel Brut Rose: Korbel offers affordable sparkling wines made in the traditional way for many decades. While most aren’t too nuanced, they are solid offerings with pleasing flavors and textures. The brut rose will bring a splash of color to your celebration along with the melon flavor and moderately dry character.

Francois Montand Blanc de Blanc: This sparkling wine comes from a wine-growing region outside Champagne, which is why it isn’t officially called a champagne. But it’s a real bargain for a decent quality French sparkler. It’s a great pick if you like dry champagne. If you prefer it sweeter, the mineral notes on this one might disappoint.

Sparkling Wine for $15-$20 

Scharffenberger Brut (non-vintage): Hailing from California’s Anderson Valley, this sparkling wine is creamy and dry with hints of crisp apple and vanilla. At about $17, it’s a good value for a refined-tasting bubbly.

Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs:  This is a California sparkling wine made by French wine producers. It has mild berry flavors and a nice soft finish. For about $15, this is a high-quality wine with a very reasonable price tag.

Sparkling Wine for $25-$35

Ariston Apasie Carte Blanche Brut: This is a great $25 find from one of the Champagne region’s smaller producers. It’s dry and fruity with a beautiful dark color and a light touch on the tongue.

Schramsberg Cremant Demi-Sec: Although dry “Brut” sparklers usually dominate New Year’s, there are also wonderful sparkling wines that are sweeter. This $30 demi-sec has some tropical fruit sweetness without going over the edge into sticky sweet territory.

Champagne for $40 and up

Veuve Clicquot Brut: This classic champagne (it is actually from the Champagne region of France) can hold its own against many much more expensive bottles of bubbly. It has great acidity and fruit flavor … not to mention beautiful tiny bubbles. At about $40 a bottle, it won’t break the bank for a small celebration but probably isn’t the pick for a large party unless you have a generous champagne budget.

Jean Milan Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru Reserve: Delicate bubbles and a toasted oak finish are your reward if you pony up the $55 for this champagne. The floral and apple notes combine to make for a balanced champagne perfect for ringing in a new year.

Try some Champagne Cocktails for New Year’s Eve
Photo credit:  Waldo Jaquith

This classic champagne cocktail is wonderful for Holiday entertaining. Light and refreshing, the Poinsettia Cocktail ads an extra bit of holiday cheer to any gathering.

Poinsettia Cocktail

Champagne
1/2 oz. Cointreau
3 oz. Cranberry Juice

Add chilled Cointreau and Cranberry to chilled champagne glass. Stir and top with Champagne just before serving.

Spice it up with by adding 1 oz. of Vodka
For a non-alcoholic version, use Ginger Ale in place of Champagne and Cointreau.

more Champagne Cocktails
more Holiday Cocktails
past Drink of the Week cocktails

What better way to celebrate everything you’re thankful for than with a sparkling cocktail made with seasonal fruit? This light Thanksgiving cocktail is the perfect accompaniment to the heavy meal that makes Turkey Day one of my favorite days of the year.

I recommend making it with gin — the juniper is a nice herbal counterbalance to the sweetness of the pear. However, it tastes great with vodka, too. I’m sure there wasn’t any Prosecco or pear on Plymouth Rock … but you can use Plymouth Gin.

Pilgrim’s Pear

1 1/4 oz. pear syrup (recipe follows)
1/4 oz. gin
Prosecco

Put gin and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a champagne flute and top off with Prosecco. For garnish, slice a Bosc pear lengthwise, halve one of the slices, and place both halves in the flute.

Pear Syrup

1 cup water
1 Bosc pear, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once pears are fully cooked (approximately 10 minutes), strain out the pears and refrigerate the liquid. That’s your syrup. Pear slices can be used as a dessert topping.

Another Thanksgiving cocktail to try: Grateful Cranberry

No Mother’s Day brunch is complete without a champagne cocktail! This blackberry champagne cocktail is beautiful and brightly colored, with fresh blackberries lending the purple hue. No matter what you serve, this refreshing cocktail will look great next to it.

Blackberry Champagne Cocktail

3/4 oz. blackberry simple syrup (recipe below)
1-1.5 oz. gin (depending on how strong Mom likes her drinks)
Sparkling wine
Fresh blackberries for garnish

Put two blackberries in a champagne flute. Pour in blackberry simple syrup and gin, then carefully top off with sparkling wine.

Blackberry Simple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 basket of blackberries

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Strain into a container, pressing the blackberries to push juice through the stainer.

http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/blog/mothers-day-brunch-champagne-cocktail-recipes/

One way to show your Mom she raised you right is to treat her to a homemade brunch!

Here are some wonderful brunch and champagne cocktail recipes to show your Mom that you love her.

Celebrate your Mom with a champagne toast and tasty meal.
Happy Mother’s Day!

Champagne Cocktail Recipes

Blackberry Champagne Cocktail
The Happy Mom
Mimosa
Kir Royale
Orangecello Champagne Cocktail
Blood Orange Bellini
French Revolution
Malibu Sparkler
Mama’s Malibu Martini
Ultimate Indulgence
Mumitini

and for some fun - Hollywood MILFs & the cocktails that love them

Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes

Eggs Benedict
Apple Baked French Toast
Pear and Ricotta Blintzes
Melon Sorbet
Strawberry Honey-Mascarpone Tart

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