The Academy Awards wouldn’t be Hollywood’s most glamorous night without beautiful stars, couture gowns, Meryl Streep acceptance speeches, and most of all, champagne to celebrate all the above. For the past few years Moët & Chandon was the Oscars’ champagne of choice, but this year the festivities have a new official bubbly — French house Piper-Heidsieck – which will be pouring Cuvee Brut at the pre-show, and will be gifting lucky Oscar winners with a rare 1988 vintage bottling of Piper engraved in their honor.
To make the evening’s 1,500 bottles stretch a little further, the motion picture elite are traditionally served specialty champagne cocktails such as previous years’ fruity Golden Glamour or the sweet-sour Red Carpet Glamour Cocktail decorated with a red rose petal.
In this new age of the hand-crafted cocktail, we love the creativity of sparkling concoctions that unexpectedly complement Champagne, Prosecco, or any sparkling wine with unique liqueurs and fine spirits, including gin, rum, and, bourbon. Without further ado, here are our nominees for Best Champagne Cocktails in a Supporting Role to Elevate Your Oscar Viewing Party:
Golden Glamour
4 oz Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne
1/4 oz Navan liqueur
1 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Juice
- Combine all ingredients in a champagne coupe. Top with fresh sprig of mint for garnish
Red Carpet Glamour Cocktail
1 ounce fresh sour mix (1 cup sugar with 1 cup water until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup fresh lime juice and 1 cup fresh lemon juice and refrigerate.)
1 ounce Hum Botanical Spirit
Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne
Rose petal for garnish
- Fill a chilled champagne flute half way with ice. Stir the sour mix and Hum together in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into the flute until half full. Top with champagne. Garnish with a rose petal
Royal Aperitif
1 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica Rum
1/2 oz. honey syrup (2:1 honey to water)
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 1/2 oz. Champagne
- Combine all ingredients, except for champagne. Add ice, then shake and strain into a flute. Top with Champagne and garnish. Created by Willy Shine
The Black Forest
1.5 oz SKYY Vodka
.5 oz Agave syrup
½ Lemon
4 Blackberries
Prosecco
- Muddle the lemon and blackberries in a shaker. Add SKYY Vodka and agave syrup and shake to combine. Strain into a champagne flute and top with Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Airmail
1 oz. Appleton Estate V/X
0.5 oz. Lime juice
0.25 oz. Honey syrup (2-1 honey to water)
Champagne
- Shake all ingredients except the bubbles with ice & strain into a chilled glass (coupe or flute) and top with bubbles. Alternate: Keep the same recipe and muddle fresh fruit of the season before you shake.
Wild Turkey Champagne Cocktail
1 oz. Wild Turkey Bourbon 101
5 oz. Peach Liqueur
3 Dash Bitters
Champagne
- Mix bourbon, peach liqueur and bitters in champagne goblet and top off with champagne.
Starlet
1/2 oz. Remy Martin VSOP
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 Sugar Cube
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Top with chilled Champagne
- In a flute, mix Remy Martin, Cointreau and bitters with a sugar cube. Stir to dissolve. Add bitters and top with champagne.
Casino Royale
1.5 oz. (45ml) Bulldog Gin
.5 oz. (15ml) Ginger-Infused Simple Syrup or King’s Ginger (ginger liqueur)
.5 oz. (15ml) Lillet White
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Prosecco or Dry Champagne
- Combine all ingredients except Champagne in a mixing glass. Shake and strain into champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with an edible flower.
Milano Royale
1 ½ oz Campari
1 oz Pimm’s
1 ½ oz Italian Blood Orange Juice
2 oz rosé Champagne
- Combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain. Top with 2 oz rosé Champagne. Garnish with a slice of blood orange or an orange twist. Created by Julie Reiner.
