Strawberry Champagne

By Melissa Search Jump to Recipe

Indulge in the sweetness and sparkle of this posh, crisp Strawberry Champagne cocktail.

Around Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect time to serve or sip this Strawberry Champagne cocktail. Champagne is often associated with celebrations and luxury. We toast to love at weddings and pop bottles of bubbly at engagements. Strawberries, with their rich red hue and heart-like shape, are associated with Venus, the goddess of love. Combining the two in this crisp, fruity Strawberry Champagne cocktail is practically a love potion.

Though hotly debated, champagne is said to have been invented by French monk Dom Pérignon in 1697, but interestingly, up to thirty years earlier English winemakers were adding sugar and molasses to wine to make it bubbly. Whichever way it began, champagne is now a firm fixture of the drinks scene and true champagne has to be made exclusively in the Champagne region of France to bear the name.

While champagne and strawberries are perfect together, their exact meet-cute is not definitively known. For this cocktail, we don’t just drop the fruit in the glass. This cocktail is crafted. A squeeze of lemon intensifies the sweet taste and gives a subtle hint of citrus. Sugar is optional in the Strawberry Champagne, but I love the texture and candy-like sweetness it adds once puréed and mixed together.

Techniques For Cocktails: Puréeing and Muddling

Puréeing and muddling are both techniques used in mixology to bring out the flavor of fruit and enhance the taste of the cocktail. In our Strawberry Champagne cocktail, we purée the strawberries, lemon juice, and optional sugar to create a jam-like sweet concoction that makes this drink irresistible. You can strain the strawberries through a fine mesh sieve if you want a smoother consistency.

If you don’t have a food processor or blender, muddling is an alternative to achieve a similar result. Using a wooden muddler, mash your ingredients in a bowl or a shaker, then add to the champagne flute. Finally, top with your bubbly.

What Is The Best Alcohol To Use To Make A Strawberry Champagne?

For this drink, I highly recommend Veuve Clicquot. It has a dazzling pale gold color and the perfect amount of bubbles. It is crisp and a bit fruity with notes of citrus and peach, which go perfectly with the strawberry-lemon purée in this cocktail. A bottle of Veuve is approximately $50, which may be pricey to a champagne novice, but is pennies compared to some of the most exquisite bottles available.

However, since we are not sipping the bubbly straight, some may not think it worth the splurge for a true champagne. In this case, go for any dry sparkling wine or prosecco. I like La Marca or Mionetto Organic Prosecco, which range from $12 to $20. You will certainly want dry or brut over a sweet sparkling wine for this Strawberry Champagne since it has added sweetness.

WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH TO USE?

Serve the Strawberry Champagne in a champagne flute and garnish with a whole strawberry or a neatly cut strawberry slice.

WOULD A SPARKLING ROSÉ WINE GO WELL WITH THIS DRINK?

Yes, a dry or brut sparkling rosé works wonderfully with the flavors in the Strawberry Champagne.

Similar Drinks To The Strawberry Champagne

The Strawberry Champagne is the epitome of an enticing champagne cocktail. You will likely find yourself reaching for this recipe at your next brunch or girls’ night or detailing it to the bartender when you’re out celebrating that new promotion or Valentine’s Day. Now that you’ve been introduced to the idea of sprucing up a classic glass of bubbly, Twist and Toast has a few other libations you’ll love.

• Champagne Cocktail – The OG of this class, a dash of bitters and sugar give that extra bite to the bubbles.
• Mimosa – Love the idea of fruity effervescence but don’t have time for the blending? Whip up this breakfast drink with a quick pour of OJ.
• Prosecco Sorbet Cocktail – This refreshing champs drink can be enjoyed as a festive summer drink and double as a light dessert.