24 Sparkling Cocktail Recipes for a Bubbly New Year's Eve

Ring in the New Year with our favorite recipes for festive, fizzy sparkling cocktails.

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.
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Updated Dec. 21, 2022
HOFF_OneBottleCocktail_Spike-the-Kiddie-Table-edit.jpg
© Kelly Puleio 2018, resized for publication

It's always fun to ring in the New Year with a glass of bubbly. If you're celebrating with just a few other people, it might be worth busting out a fancy bottle of Champagne—or the best Cava, or Prosecco. But good sparkling wine in large quantities can get expensive quickly, so if you're hosting a party, you might want a way to stretch your supply.

That's where sparkling cocktails come in. Once you cut the wine with booze and mixers, there's little detectable difference between an expensive bottle and a cheap one, and the pop and fizz are just as festive. To toast the New Year with delicious drinks that won't break the bank, check out 24 of our favorite sparkling-cocktail recipes below, including a classic French 75 (and several variations), a bittersweet Negroni Sbagliato, and unusual bubbly takes on traditional drinks like the Jungle Bird and caipirinha.

  • French 75

    Vicky Wasik

    This classic drink is, without a doubt, the most elegant cocktail to ever be named after a piece of heavy artillery. It's made by combining sparkling wine with herbal gin, tart lemon juice, and a little sugar, for a drink that's perfectly balanced—the proportions of liquor and sugar make it just strong and sweet enough.

    Get the recipe for French 75

  • Silver Daisy (Sparkling Rum Cocktail)

    Vicky Wasik

    If you're in the mood to change things up this New Year's, the French 75 is ripe for variation, as this recipe (and a number of the ones that follow) proves. With its blend of lightly aged rum, freshly squeezed lime juice, and orange curaçao, this slightly tiki-inspired version will take you out of the cold grip of winter and momentarily transport you to a tropical island. A couple of drops of Angostura bitters gives the drink just a touch of spice.

    Get the recipe for Silver Daisy (Sparkling Rum Cocktail)

  • A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)

    Vicky Wasik

    This recipe takes a little more effort than a typical French 75, but the results are worth it. We start with sparkling wine, gin, and grapefruit juice, then add a homemade spiced cherry cordial flavored with cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and cloves. The cordial can be made several weeks in advance, and you'll likely have some left over. It's great served with club soda and a squeeze of citrus juice for a nonalcoholic refresher.

    Get the recipe for A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)

  • Bellissimo Aceto (Lambrusco-Amaro Cocktail)

    Vicky Wasik

    There's more to sparkling wine than the most common white varieties, like Champagne and Prosecco. This French 75 twist makes use of a well-known red variant: Lambrusco. To complement the wine's bold, fruity flavor, we turn to caramelly, bittersweet Amaro Lucano, fresh mint, and just a dash of white balsamic vinegar for tartness.

    Get the recipe for Bellissimo Aceto (Lambrusco-Amaro Cocktail)
    Continue to 5 of 24 below.

  • Salzburg 75 (Grapefruit Radler French 75 Variation)

    Vicky Wasik

    This drink is more of a departure from a traditional French 75 than its cousins above, as it isn't made with wine at all. Instead, we use Austrian Stiegl-Radler Grapefruit, a canned beer-and-grapefruit-soda combination. The light radler is kicked up with gin and lemon juice to make an incredibly refreshing cocktail, one that's as tasty at brunch any time of year as it is on New Year's Eve.

    Get the recipe for Salzburg 75 (Grapefruit Radler French 75 Variation)

  • Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail

    Elana Lepkowski

    If you're committed to drinking until (at least) midnight on New Year's, then it's a good idea to pace yourself with lighter concoctions. This cocktail, for instance, doesn't contain any hard liquor—we mix the sparkling wine with a sweet-tart cranberry–black pepper shrub instead. The drink is well suited to entertaining, since the shrub can be made far in advance.

    Get the recipe for Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail

  • Sparkling Lemon-Suze Pitcher Cocktail

    Elana Lepkowski

    Suze is a floral, citrusy, bittersweet French aperitif that's perfect for fans of Lillet. Mixed with sparkling wine and a lemon-sage syrup, it's another light cocktail that won't knock you out before midnight arrives. The syrup can be made up to a week in advance and can be mixed with the Suze on the 30th, minimizing the work you'll have to do on New Year's Eve.

    Get the recipe for Sparkling Lemon-Suze Pitcher Cocktail

  • Sparkling Apple Sherry Cocktail

    Elana Lepkowski

    This one's for the true apple lovers—it combines apple brandy and muddled fresh apples with nutty oloroso sherry and citrusy Mandarine Napoléon liqueur. (Mandarine Napoléon probably isn't a standard part of your home bar, so feel free to substitute it with Grand Marnier.) The drink gets topped off with a few ounces of Prosecco.

    Get the recipe for Sparkling Apple Sherry Cocktail
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  • Negroni Sbagliato

    Vicky Wasik

    Legend has it that the Negroni Sbagliato was invented when a bartender was making a Negroni and absent-mindedly reached for a bottle of sparkling wine instead of gin—sbagliato is the Italian word for "bungled" or "mistaken." The story sounds apocryphal to me, but that doesn't change the fact that sparkling wine is a lovely partner for Campari and vermouth.

    Get the recipe for Negroni Sbagliato

  • Spiced Cranberry Rum Fizz

    Autumn Giles

    There's more to cranberry cocktails than overly sweet Cosmos and vodka-cranberries. This (partly) make-ahead pitcher drink treats the fruit right, mixing tangy, unsweetened 100% cranberry juice with white rum. Orange zest and fresh ginger make the cocktail taste a little like cranberry sauce, in a good way, and the whole thing gets topped off with sparkling wine right before serving.

    Get the recipe for Spiced Cranberry Rum Fizz

  • Sparkling Pomegranate Caipirinha

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    Elana Lepkowski

    Brazil's answer to the daiquiri, the caipirinha swaps out rum in favor of cachaça and uses whole lime pieces instead of just lime juice. It's an intense cocktail, one that we tame here slightly with pomegranate juice and fizzy sparkling wine, resulting in a pretty and festive drink for New Year's.

    Get the recipe for Sparkling Pomegranate Caipirinha

  • Chamomile and Tangerine Sparkling Cocktail for Two

    Elana Lepkowski

    I'm usually skeptical of floral cocktails, since badly made ones make me feel like I'm drinking perfume. This one, though, works wonderfully well. The herbal gin and floral chamomile are offset nicely by tangerine juice and tart white balsamic vinegar, and the addition of sparkling wine makes it just right for a party.

    Get the recipe for Chamomile and Tangerine Sparkling Cocktail for Two
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  • Charred-Lemon Gin Sparkler

    Autumn Giles

    Lemon juice is one of the most common cocktail ingredients around, but I'm willing to bet you haven't had it like this. Searing lemons in a skillet gives them a much deeper flavor and tames their harsh bite. We like to combine this complex charred-lemon juice with woodsy rosemary and gin—go with something botanical-rich, like Botanivore from St. George Spirits.

    Get the recipe for Charred-Lemon Gin Sparkler

  • Sparkling Grapefruit Sangria With Lillet Rosé

    Elana Lepkowski

    Sangria probably isn't the first drink you associate with winter, since most of the fruits you'd make it with are out of season this time of year. But grapefruit is at its prime right now, and who doesn't love sangria at a party? That's reason enough to try making this citrusy sangria with grapefruit juice, mint, and bittersweet Lillet Rosé topped off with Cava.

    Get the recipe for Sparkling Grapefruit Sangria With Lillet Rosé

  • Plume

    Nick Caruana

    This drink looks a lot like a Negroni Sbagliato, with its combination of Prosecco, Campari, and sweet vermouth (or quinine-flavored Cocchi Rosa). But it comes into its own when you add a dash of absinthe, which gives it a subtle anise aroma. Besides the Prosecco, we add club soda for some extra effervescence.

    Get the recipe for Plume

  • Pop! Cider

    María del Mar Sacasa

    This simple drink combines fresh apple cider, crisp Prosecco, and herbal, honeyed Bénédictine. The result is fruity but not too sweet, and it's super refreshing. Be sure to use a good-quality cider here—fresh and local is best.

    Get the recipe for Pop! Cider
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  • The Devereaux

    Wes Rowe

    The Devereaux also relies on the time-honored combination of sparkling wine and elderflower liqueur, but replaces the gin in the 23 Skiddoo with Bulleit bourbon. We also throw in a lemon's worth of juice to brighten it up, plus a standard simple syrup for sweetness.

    Get the recipe for The Devereaux

  • Sparkling Jungle Bird

    Elana Lepkowski

    Made with Campari, rum, lime, and fresh pineapple, the Jungle Bird is a tiki classic. We give this bubbly variation a complex richness by roasting the pineapple, which we then infuse into aged rum, along with lime zest and juice. The infused rum is mixed with dark rum (yes, double the rum!) and Campari, then finished with a splash of sparkling wine.

    Get the recipe for Sparkling Jungle Bird

  • Spike the Kiddie Table (Sparkling Cider Rum Cocktail)

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    © Kelly Puleio 2018, resized for publication

    This sweet, spiced cocktail doesn't get its bubbles from any sort of wine or Champagne. Instead, aged rum is combined with apple cider (whether it's from the orchard, farmers market, or refrigerator aisle) and chilled sparkling apple cider. Garnishing the cocktail with a star anise pod and an apple chip gives this simple yet delicious drink the flourish it needs to impress.

    Get the recipe for Spike the Kiddie Table (Sparkling Cider Rum Cocktail)

  • Domo Arigato (Mezcal and Ginger Cocktail)

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    © Kelly Puleio 2018, resized for publication

    It may sound really out there to use sesame oil in a cocktail, but this fantastic drink, created by Ran Duan of the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden in Woburn, Massachusetts, turns out delicately spicy, tart, and just subtly savory. Fresh ginger juice and plain club soda keep the rich and smoky mezcal in check for a drink that's complex and refreshing.

    Get the recipe for Domo Arigato (Mezcal and Ginger Cocktail)
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  • Ratterwick Punch (Sparkling Gin, Aperol, and Grapefruit Cocktail)

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    Photography copyright: Kelly Puleio © 2019

    This punch was created with warmer weather in mind, but it acts just as well as a low-ish alcohol holiday cocktail. To make it, you'll combine gin, fresh grapefruit juice, Aperol, and sparkling wine, for a drink that is gently bitter, and perfectly refreshing. Plus, it's a big-batch recipe, designed to serve a large and thirsty holiday crowd.

    Get the recipe for Ratterwick Punch (Sparkling Gin, Aperol, and Grapefruit Cocktail)

  • Two Turtledoves Cocktail

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    Vicky Wasik

    This bright and easy drink is light enough that you can have two before your relatives arrive, and still have wine with dinner. The cocktail combines the aperitif wine Lilllet with lemon, rosemary-infused honey, and sparkling wine.

    Get the recipe for Two Turtledoves Cocktail

  • Portmanteau Cocktail

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    Vicky Wasik

    We love a good Aperol spritz as much as anyone, but when the holidays (and cold weather) come around, we want something a little richer and more warming to sip on. That's where this gently sweet mixture of pomegranate juice, ruby port, and bitters comes in. With a splash of sparkling wine to finish off each glass, this drink manages to be both satisfying and light.

    Get the recipe for Portmanteau Cocktail

  • Pomegranate Rouge

    A single Champagne flute garnished with a lemon twist.

    Debbie Wee

    Inspired by the classic French 75, this cocktail is fizzy, pleasantly sweet, slightly spiced, and refreshingly tart. It's made with pomegranate simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, sparkling wine, and Lillet Rouge—all of which scream winter in the best way possible.

    Get the recipe for Pomegranate Rouge