Our Top 5 Champagne Cocktails

Though Champagne is perfect on its own, an extra bit of colour and punch is always welcome. We trialled a number of Champagne cocktails at our team parties over the years, and here are our favourites. They are fun, easy to make, and big crowd-pleasers. Serve them in Champagne flutes, coupe glasses, or universal wine glasses.

250ml orange juice
3 tbsp sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
Champagne, for topping

1. Heat the orange juice, sugar, cinnamon sticks and star anise pods over low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Allow to cool and pour into each Champagne flute or coupe glass until 1/3 full. Top with champagne. 

30ml lemon juice
2 tsp simple syrup (recipe below)
60ml gin

Lemons, for garnish
Ice
Champagne

1. Make simple syrup if you don't already have it: Place 110g granulated sugar and 95ml water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in a glass jar or bottle. (Yields approx 150ml; it will keep in the fridge for months, and can be used for future cocktails, coffee, and more.)
2. Peel a lemon into thin strips and set the strips aside. Cut the peeled lemon in half and juice. Twist each strip around a straw or a chopstick to create a spiral that holds its shape.
3. Add 60ml gin, 30ml lemon juice and 2 tsp of simple syrup in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into 2 Champagne flutes or coupes and top with Champagne. Add the lemon peel garnish and serve.

Pomegranate arils, or pomegranate juice
Champagne
Blueberries, for garnish

1. Blend pomegranate arils in a blender, and pour through a sieve and collect the juice
2. Fill a Champagne flute or coupe by a third with pomegranate juice and top up with champagne. Decorate with a couple of skewered blueberries.

225g jar of cocktail cherries
A few sprigs of thyme
Champagne

1. Drain the juice from the jar of cocktail cherries into a saucepan. Simmer the juice and a few sprigs of thyme over low heat for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool.
2. Put 2 tbsp of infused cherry syrup into each glass and add a cherry. Fill the rest of the glass with Champagne and add a sprig of thyme to garnish.

300g packet of fresh cranberries
1 tbsp of caster sugar
Champagne, enough to fill the glass and stir carefully

1. Heat 300g of fresh cranberries over low heat. Add 1 tbsp of caster sugar (add more if you want it sweeter). Keep cooking and stirring until you create a paste-like consistency. Allow to cool and put 1-2 teaspoons of the paste into each glass. Add Champagne to fill the glass and stir carefully.