17 Creative Ways To Use Sparkling Wine In Your Favorite Drinks

Let's take a moment to raise a glass to sparkling wine. Not only does it pack a boozy punch like a standard wine, but it also has a sensory-stimulating and uplifting mouthfeel, thanks to its effervescence. Sparkling wine is typically seen as a celebratory spirit, but there are more ways to incorporate this class of wines into your drink rotation than you may think.

In order to find out some of the best alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks to add sparkling wine to, we brought in the big guns: Susannah Brinkley Henry, recipe developer from Feast + West; Colin Gallagher, bar director at Delfina in San Francisco, California; Abbie Romanul, mixologist and founder of Raising the Bar; and Olivia Fernandez, lead bartender at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina. Not only did they share their tips for creating effervescent and tasty bubbly cocktails with sparkling wine, but they also offered some important insights for selecting the perfect sparkling wine for your new favorite bubbly libations. 

Moscow mules are incredibly satisfying to sip on. Maybe it's something about the signature copper vessel they're served in, or it's the pop of the ginger beer, the brightness of the lime juice, and the boozy twist from the vodka combined in every sip. If you want to take this classic cocktail up a notch, try adding ginger beer to the mix. Susannah Brinkley Henry, recipe developer from Feast + West, makes a Champagne spin on a Moscow mule by keeping the vodka and lime, but also adding in a splash of ginger liqueur and Champagne in lieu of the soda. "It keeps the classic flavors of a mule but offers a more elegant, less sweet twist," she says. 

Using a sparkling wine instead of ginger beer could also help fend off those cloying sweet notes in the soda that threaten to overtake the entire beverage. The mouthfeel will be drier — and decidedly less Moscow mule-like than you may be used to — but the punch of the ginger liqueur will surely make for a tasty and spicy drink. Try pairing it with equally bold dishes, like spicy shrimp tacos, Buffalo chicken sliders, or even fresh fish ceviche. 

A bowl of punch is so '90s, but that doesn't make it any less effective at satisfying a crowd. Punch can be anything that you want it to be, so long as you serve it in an obnoxiously large bowl with an equally large ladle. Adding sparkling wine to your bowl is a great idea, per Susannah Brinkley Henry, because "it pairs beautifully with citrus and offers a budget-friendly way to add another boozy kick." She made a prosecco punch, which combines the sparkling wine with orange juice, grapefruit, and sour mix. "It's perfect for everything from brunch to dinner parties," she says. 

The one downside to adding sparkling wine to a punch bowl is that it's difficult to keep its effervescence. Luckily, Colin Gallagher, bar director at Delfina, has some tips. "If you're making a large-format cocktail for a party, I would recommend making a big ice cube block to put in the middle of the bowl instead of adding lots of smaller cubes. The smaller cubes will kill your bubbles faster than one large one," he says. 

Lemonade is one of the best drinks of the summer. If you're looking for a way to make the coldest and most refreshing glass of this hot weather must-have, try adding sparkling wine into the mix. Either mix store-bought lemonade with sparkling wine in a glass, or combine the lemon juice and simple sugar together, using the sparkling wine as a replacement for the water. If you use the former approach and make a lemonade spin on a mimosa, you will risk watering down the drink, which is why using the wine as a water substitute may be better option. 

Abbie Romanul, mixologist and founder of Raising the Bar, also offered a suggestion for a play on a spritz. She recommends trying a non-alcoholic limoncello (which can be substituted with a regular boozy one, if desired), sparkling wine (NA or not), and an extra dose of lemon juice. "It's bright, zesty, and really refreshing on a hot day," she says. 

A margarita hates to see us coming, especially on Taco Tuesday. If your regular mezcal- or tequila-spiked cocktail is in need of an upgrade, consider reaching for sparkling wine. The sparkling wine will add extra effervescence and complement an array of common add-ins, including jalapeños, watermelon, and fruit. To make your drink at home, combine your standard margarita components — like triple sec, fresh lime juice, and tequila — with Champagne or a cheaper bubbly substitute. You can also make it in a blender with ice for something even more refreshing. 

Ratios are really important when it comes to assembling any sparkling wine cocktail. Olivia Fernandez, lead bartender at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina, recommends using two or three parts sparkling wine to one part of your regular drink components. She also recommends assembling the base of the cocktail — in this case, the margarita, then adding your sparkling wine in. "Don't go crazy with the stirring or you'll kill the fizz," she cautions. 

The bloody mary toes the line between savory and sweet — and we love it for that very reason. Olivia Fernandez shares that The Ballantyne does an upgraded take on this brunch cocktail by using clarified tomato water in lieu of tomato juice, then topping it with a little bit of Champagne. She explains that the result of this combination is something "clean, bright, and somehow more 'tomatoey' than the original." Her team also garnishes the glass with pickled pearl onions to tie all those flavors together. 

While it might seem that this bubbly addition would throw the drink off its savory course, Fernandez assures us that it's anything but. "Those bubbles make all the savory flavors pop," she says. 

Gimlets are super refreshing cocktails, though you can always make them even tastier by adding a splash of your favorite sparkling wine. This relative of the daiquiri is one of the most popular cocktails of all time, combining gin, lime juice, and sugar. The gin is very herbaceous and flavorful and helps carry the cocktail, while adding a little splash of sparkling wine will help balance its strong notes and make the drink more easily sippable than it already is. 

Even variations beyond the classic lime-gin-sugar combination can use a splash of bubbly. "I think most simple, classic cocktails like the daiquiri or gimlet could benefit from a splash of bubbles," says Colin Gallagher. For one, you can try Ina Garten's pomegranate holiday gimlet. The bubbles would be a great pairing for the tart seeds. 

Okay, okay, a Bellini is technically already a sparkling wine cocktail — but it's so delicious that it's worth mentioning here. You can stick with the classic Bellini recipe for brunch, or try one of our experts' variations on it. Abbie Romanul recommends muddling some peach in a glass, adding some lemon juice for acidity, then topping the whole thing off with non-alcoholic (though you can use alcoholic if you'd like) sparkling wine. "The fruit adds natural sweetness and fresh flavor that pairs perfectly with the bubbles," she says. You could also try a frozen variation on this drink, or even pour some sparkling wine over a couple of scoops of peach sorbet for a refreshing summer treat. 

Some of the best Champagnes for mimosas (and Bellinis, too) are chardonnay-heavy Champagnes, which will give you an excellent and complementary yeasty flavor. If you're opting for something on the cheaper side, though, cava and prosecco will work just as well. 

You may have already had an agua fresca and not known it! This recipe is so simple yet so refreshing: water, sugar, lime juice, and an array of fresh ingredients, like herbs, fruit, and more. The simplicity of this beverage makes it an excellent canvas for experimenting with flavorful additions, including sparkling wine. 

Olivia Fernandez explains that her team figured out that this beverage was prime for a bubbly upgrade when they combined a leftover watermelon-jalapeño agua fresca with prosecco. "The bubbles make the watermelon taste even more like summer, and that little jalapeño kick plays so well with the wine's acidity," she says. "It's become our secret weapon for hot Charlotte afternoons." 

A lot of sparkling wine cocktails are light — think mimosas and the French 75. But if you play your cards right, they can also be heavy, complex, and swoon-worthy. Death in the Afternoon is a sparkling wine cocktail worth exploring, so long as you don't mind the unique flavor of absinthe.

Colin Gallagher explains that this cocktail is made by pouring Champagne into an absinthe-lined wine glass until you see the louche — an emulsification that causes the absinthe to change color. He makes his with The Leopold Brothers absinthe and recommends adding a lemon twist for a sophisticated touch. It's a visually pleasing and satisfying sipper worth trying. 

Many of your favorite classic cocktails can be turned into Royales with the addition of sparkling wine. The Kir Royale, one of the most famous beverages of this class, is made with crème de cassis and a little bit of sparkling wine. Cava, prosecco, and Champagne are all options here. You can also give your amaretto sour the Royale treatment by adding some prosecco to the glass. 

If you don't mind straying from tradition, Colin Gallagher says you can even level up a Manhattan with it. The combination of sweet vermouth, rye whiskey, and bitters with the dry sparkling wine would elevate the sip, and the bubbles themselves would help take the attention off the heaviness of the vermouth. 

When people think of sparkling wine cocktails, some of the most common ones that come to mind are light and summery. But with enough creativity, you can also turn your autumnal and wintry spirits into sparkling wine spritzers.

When deciding which classic spirits to add sparkling wine to (and which to add to your seasonal drinks), defer to Colin Gallagher's insights. "I think using darker spirits such as bourbon, rye, Armagnac, or aged rums works well for wintry cocktails," he says, noting that the barrel aging lends them more depth — which is just what you need to warm you up on a cold winter's day. He shares that one of his most beloved seasonal drinks is the Jersey, which is made with bourbon, lemon juice, unfiltered apple cider, maple syrup, and bitters. "One year for a [holiday party], I added some brut sparkling wine to it and really loved how it turned out," Gallagher says, noting that you can also use a dry sparkling cider instead of wine if you'd prefer. 

Coffee and wine may be an unexpected pairing, but it's one that works surprisingly well. Coffee and wine come together for the perfect refreshing brunch drink with Olivia Fernandez's suggestion, which she calls a "Midnight Sparkler." This drink combines cold brew coffee with a little bit of simple syrup, prosecco, and an orange peel twist. "The bubbles cut through that coffee bitterness in the most amazing way, and suddenly you've got this elegant drink that works at brunch [or] dinner," she says. "Our guests are completely obsessed." When looking at pairing coffee and sparkling wine, you'll want to consider the nuances and heaviness of the coffee's flavor to ensure it's compatible with your bubbly. A robust and strong espresso would be a good match for a drier Champagne, while you could get away with something a little sweeter for a lighter roast. 

Another potential route you can take with sparkling wine and coffee is adding a splash of wine to your affogato — a tasty espresso-gelato (or ice cream) treat. The bubbles cut through the richness of the ice cream and help balance out the flavor of the coffee. You can also add a splash of sparkling wine to your milky cappuccino or coffee drink, too. 

One of the best things about sparkling wine cocktails is that it's easy to substitute one type of bubbly drink for another. So, if you're working with a drink that calls for tonic water, soda water, or club soda (and don't mind the flavor profile changing slightly, of course), you can always add a splash of sparkling wine as a substitute. Such is the case with herb-to-glass cocktails, which really embody those fresh, straight-from-the-garden flavors that we all know and love. 

Olivia Fernandez shares that she likes to muddle together fresh herbs, including rosemary, basil, or thyme, with a little simple syrup, citrus, and sparkling wine to make a spritzer. "The bubbles release all those herbal oils, so every sip is like aromatherapy," she says. If your herby NA drink recipe calls for sparkling water, using sparkling wine would be an easy way to make it boozy. Besides muddling the herbs directly into the glass, you could also infuse them into your simple syrup to make those flavors even more robust.

Sangria is a great summer sipper, especially if you're hosting a crowd. The easiest way to make this batch beverage is to combine the muddled, sliced fruit (like apples and oranges) with wine — and a spirit, if you so choose. While it's no doubt refreshing, you miss out on the bubbly effervescence and lightness that something like sparkling wine can offer. 

You can either make a sparkling white or red sangria. For the former, try combining brandy, orange liqueur, sugar (if you prefer things sweeter, though a sweet, dry wine like a prosecco or even a moscato will help out in this department, too), and chilled sparkling wine together. Apples are an especially good match for a white sangria, though you can also add frozen grapes to keep things chilled and highlight those delectably light flavor nuances in the wine. Add the same ingredients for a sparkling red sangria, swap out the chilled sparkling wine with a sparkling red, like Lambrusco — just be sure to consider its sweetness and tannins before you pour it into your sangria pitcher. 

Mojitos are very refreshing, and adding a little bit of sparkling wine to the mix will make them all the more tasty. Mint, white rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and sparkling water or club soda come together in this classic cocktail. For a sparkling wine variation, Colin Gallagher recommends swapping out the seltzer for sparkling wine. The sparkling wine is not only a great pairing for the mint, lime, and simple syrup, but it also adds a sharp, dry profile to complement the vanilla and subtle sweetness of the white rum. 

For added flavor, try adding some fresh berries to your glass and pairing it with a crisp and citrus-forward brut. You can also use coconut rum, complemented with a sweet yet dry Champagne. 

You may have fond memories of sipping on root beer floats as a kid, but let us propose an even better grown-up option: the boozy sorbet float. The recipe couldn't be simpler — a scoop of sorbet (or sherbet, if you like things extra creamy) paired affogato-style with a good pour of bubbly. Raspberry is a very refreshing option, and its tartness makes a great juxtaposition to a sweeter sparkling wine. You could also opt for an orange sorbet for a frosty, refreshing take on a mimosa, or peach to celebrate one of summer's tastiest fruits. 

The amount of sparkling wine and sorbet you add to the glass will depend on which flavor you want to be more prominent. You can also choose between a flute, which Olivia Fernandez notes helps keep the bubbles floating for longer, or a wider glass so that you can get a whiff of the delicious pairing of sweet sorbet and sparkling wine. Cheers! 

One pairing that works really well when it comes to sparkling wine is apple cider. Many sparkling wines give off light grapey and appley notes, which will complement the rich, apple-forward mouthfeel of cider well. This duo can be as dressed-up or dressed-down as you'd like. Start with a ratio of two parts sparkling wine (dry brut is a great option here) with one part apple cider. You can also add some brandy to give it a little more of a warming mouthfeel, and garnish your autumnal drink with a cinnamon stick or two and some sliced apples. 

Another excellent spirit worth adding to an apple cider and sparkling wine cocktail — an apple mimosa, if you will — is bourbon. It's warming and very cozy, and those oaky flavors in the spirit would be a great match for the cinnamony cider and sweet, dry sparkling wine.