[Photographs: Elana Lepkowski]
If your New Year's Eve plans involve a special someone or a small dinner party, a fancy bottle of Champagne (or the very best Cava or Prosecco) is in order. But if you're hosting a huge party, you probably don't want to spring for high-end bubbles for everyone. And one of the best ways to make use of cheaper fizz is to incorporate it as an ingredient in a flavorful cocktail.
Ingredients like cranberry juice, absinthe, rum, and even vinegar can punch up your so-so sparkling wine in a concoction that'll have everyone feeling festive. Here are 16 of our favorite recipes to help you ring in the New Year in style.
Tangy Cranberry-Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
New Year's Eve can be a long night of drinking, so it's good to pace yourself. This festive cocktail has no alcohol besides the sparkling wine—instead of booze, it's spiked with a sweet-tart shrub made with tangy cranberries, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper. The shrub can be made well in advance, relieving a little party-hosting stress.
Get the recipe for the Tangy Cranberry-Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail »
French 75
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
If you've never had this classic drink, you've just discovered your New Year's resolution. It's a lively mix of sparkling wine, herbal gin, tart lemon juice, and a little sugar, and it just might become your new house cocktail.
Get the recipe for the French 75 »
Sparkling Lemon-Suze Pitcher Cocktail
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
If you like Lillet, you'll love floral, citrusy, bittersweet Suze. It's the key ingredient in this refreshing, lemony cocktail that pairs it with woodsy sage. All together, this make-ahead drink emphasizes the best qualities of your sparkling wine—even if you didn't buy something fancy.
Get the recipe for the Sparkling Lemon-Suze Pitcher Cocktail »
Sparkling Apple Sherry Cocktail
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
You can't drink a caramel apple dipped in nuts, but this cocktail will get you close to it, thanks to toasty oloroso sherry, potent apple brandy, fruity Prosecco, and muddled fresh apples, all sweetened with juicy Mandarine Napoléon liqueur. If you can't find Mandarine Napoléon, you can substitute Grand Marnier or a good dry orange curaçao, such as Pierre Ferrand.
Get the recipe for the Sparkling Apple Sherry Cocktail »
Negroni Sbagliato
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
A classic Negroni is made with bitter Campari, rich sweet vermouth, and juniper-laced gin. It's a forceful drink that demands your full attention. A Negroni Sbagliato takes that formula and breaks it a little—sbagliato is the Italian word for "bungled" or "mistaken." But make no mistake: The Campari and vermouth are wonderful together when mixed with sparkling wine instead of gin.
Get the recipe for the Negroni Sbagliato »
Fizzy Ginger Cocktail With Pickled Watermelon Rind
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
This drink comes with its own snack: watermelon rind that's been pickled in apple cider vinegar with spices. The tangy pickle sets off the heat from a fresh ginger infusion (it's easy to make, we promise). A dollop of dry vermouth rounds out the flavor, adding a delicate floral and herbal note that's carried through with a pour of bubbly Prosecco.
Get the recipe for the Fizzy Ginger Cocktail With Pickled Watermelon Rind »
Spiced Cranberry Rum Fizz
[Photograph: Autumn Giles]
Cranberry drinks are often sweet and weakly flavored, but this one starts with tangy, unsweetened 100% cranberry juice. It brings in orange zest and fresh ginger for a combo that's reminiscent of the best possible Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, spiked with white rum. You'll prep a big pitcher of the drink mix in advance, then just add sparkling wine to each serving at your New Year's Eve bash.
Get the recipe for the Spiced Cranberry Rum Fizz »
Sparkling Pomegranate Caipirinha
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
The Caipirinha is a bit like a Daiquiri, except that it uses sugarcane-based cachaça instead of rum, and whole lime pieces instead of just the juice. It's a bold, tangy, and husky drink, even more so when gussied up with ruby-red pomegranate and festive sparkling wine.
Get the recipe for the Sparkling Pomegranate Caipirinha »
Chamomile and Tangerine Sparkling Cocktail for Two
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
Floral cocktails can often be unpleasantly perfume-y, but this one is perfectly balanced. The chamomile pairs up nicely with herbal gin, offset by tangy tangerine juice and a hit of bright, tart white balsamic vinegar.
Get the recipe for the Chamomile and Tangerine Sparkling Cocktail for Two »
Charred Lemon Gin Sparkler
[Photograph: Autumn Giles]
You've almost certainly used raw lemon in cocktails before, but how about charred lemon? Searing lemon halves in a skillet mellows their bite and deepens their flavor. For this cocktail, we pair the charred-lemon juice with piney rosemary and a botanical-rich gin, like St. George Botanivore.
Get the recipe for the Charred Lemon Gin Sparkler »
Sparkling Grapefruit Sangria With Lillet Rosé
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
Many of the fruits you'd usually put in sangria aren't great come winter, but don't despair. This citrusy version is wonderfully flavorful thanks to fresh grapefruit juice, bright mint, and bittersweet Lillet Rosé.
Get the recipe for Sparkling Grapefruit Sangria With Lillet Rosé »
The Plume
[Photograph: Nick Caruana]
A little absinthe adds a haunting, herbal, anise-tinged flavor to this fizzy drink, inspired by the Negroni Sbagliato.
Get the recipe for the Plume »
Pop! Cider
[Photograph: María del Mar Sacasa]
The herbal, honeyed flavors of Bénédictine make fresh apple cider and crisp, fruity Prosecco taste like they were made for each other.
Get the recipe for Pop! Cider »
23 Skiddoo
[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]
You can use any fresh thyme in this cocktail, but lemon thyme is especially nice when paired with sparkling wine, tart lemon juice, gin, and elderflower liqueur.
Get the recipe for the 23 Skiddoo »
The Devereaux from Freemans
[Photograph: Wes Rowe]
Many sparkling wine cocktails call for gin, but if you're not into juniper, you have other options. This winner is made with Bulleit bourbon—plus elderflower liqueur and lemon—lending the drink a rich sweetness.
Get the recipe for The Devereaux from Freemans »
Sparkling Jungle Bird
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
The Jungle Bird is a classic tiki drink made with Campari, rum, lime, and fresh pineapple. This version mixes things up a little by adding sparkling wine and infusing the rum with the pineapple and lime. Roasting the pineapple before infusing it gives the drink a complex richness.
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