Festive Champagne Cocktail and Mocktail

Here is a fun party drink for the holiday season. I love champagne and all forms of bubbly. This is a colorful way to enjoy a holiday version of a champagne cocktail. You can also make this a non-alcoholic drink and still enjoy the sparkling spirit of the season. Here is my recipe for a festive champagne cocktail and mocktail.

What You’ll Need:

• champagne flute
• a lemon
• colored sugar
• Angostura bitters
• champagne, sparkling apple cider, or mineral water

Here’s how to make it:

• Take a lemon wedge and rub it around the rim of the champagne flute to moisten the top. Dip the rim of the glass in colored sugar. It should stick all around and create a colorful border.
• Add about 1/4 teaspoon of the colored sugar to the glass.
• Add 3-4 drops of Angostura bitters.
• Fill the glass with champagne.
• Add a twist of lemon.

Be careful when you fill the glass. Do it slowly. The sugar in the glass will cause the champagne to foam up quickly. Take your time.

For a non-alcoholic version of this drink, use Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider instead of champagne. It’s fizzy and festive, and can be served to children as well as anyone who doesn’t want to consume alcohol. You could also use sparkling mineral water if you don’t want a fruity drink.

I used red colored sugar I got in the baking section at the supermarket. You could also go to a craft store and get some of the fancy sparkling sugars they sell in the baking department. Or you could use white sugar. When I used the red sugar, it changed the color of the champagne to red as well. If you want to keep the champagne color, use colored sugar on the rim of the glass, but white sugar in the drink.

I hope you enjoy this festive champagne cocktail and mocktail, and serve it at your holiday celebrations.