This Spicy-Sweet Autumnal Sipper Gets a Lift from Sparkling Wine

If you want to turn a cocktail into a celebration, splash in some sparkling wine.

“When you add it to a cocktail, it adds dryness and acidity—but it also delivers an entire mood, a vibe,” explains Elva Ramirez, author of Sparkling: Champagne and Sparkling Cocktails for Any Occasion (Union Square & Co.). “It makes everything more special and memorable.”

History supports that celebratory spark: Wine, and later Champagne, was the customary quaff after France’s royal coronations. That enthusiasm for bubbly spilled over to America, becoming a symbol of aspirational luxury and style during the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. As the cocktail renaissance dawned, sparkling wine and mixology soon became entwined, with Champagne cocktails appearing in influential early books like William “Cocktail” Boothby’s 1891 American Bartender guide.

Today, Champagne and other sparklers are considered an “everyday luxury,” Ramirez says.

Selecting the right bubbly to include in a cocktail depends on the other flavors present, and how you prefer to accent them, says Moemu Seo, head sommelier for Bangkok Supper Club, and former somm and wine director for i Sodi, Buvette and A16.

“A quality Prosecco, for example, can work to highlight fresh fruit qualities,” also inherent in the wine, she explains, while “a semisweet Brachetto d’Acqui from Piedmont can be wonderful to pair with autumnal flavors such as baking spices, herbs and macerated fruits.” Meanwhile, Champagne or dry German Sekt is likely to be a more versatile foil for flavors, and has finer bubbles, giving a luxuriously creamy texture, while the larger bubbles found in Prosecco or Cava add a crisper fizz.

To decide which bottle to pair with which drink, Ramirez recommends sampling several different sparkling wines on their own (it’s tough work, but somebody has to do it), so you’re familiar with the flavors and how they might pair with a drink. “You want to see how all the flavors will play together,” she says.

Popping open a bottle is also a great way to signal that a party is about to begin.

“When it comes to entertaining, bubbles are an inherently festive experience,” says sommelier Victoria James, who oversees a list of more than 400 sparkling wines at NYC’s Coqodaq. Further, bubbles “help with the absorption of alcohol so you start to feel a slight buzz quicker,” she adds. “Definitely a good party trick!”

In The Group Text, sparkling wine lifts and brightens an autumnal sipper for a group, made with apple cider, whiskey and ginger.

For easy entertaining, Ramirez suggests assembling all the spirits in the pitcher first, and setting that aside. Right before guests arrive, add the lemon juice (it can oxidize if left longer than an hour), and stir. When guests have arrived and you want to get their attention—well, that’s the time to pop the cork.

“It’s never not magical,” she says.

The Group Text

From Sparkling: Champagne and Sparkling Cocktails for Any Occasion by Elva Ramirez (Union Square & Co., 2024)

“Everyone has at least one: a rowdy, chatty, irreverent group text with multiple friends, full of inside jokes, catty comments and vague plans to meet up IRL,” Ramirez says. This drink, bursting with autumnal apple, whiskey, lemon and ginger flavors, is just the thing to bring the crew together. Of note, the drink is assembled in two parts: The cider-whiskey base is built in a container like an iced tea pitcher or bowl. Each drink is then finished with a splash of wine just before serving.

Ingredients

  • 40 ounces (5 cups) unfiltered apple cider
  • 8 ounces Irish or American whiskey
  • 6 ounces Yuzuri Yuzu Liqueur*
  • 4 ounces Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
  • 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 750-ml bottle chilled sparkling wine, to top

Instructions

In a pitcher or punch bowl, combine the cider, whiskey, yuzu liqueur, ginger liqueur, lemon juice and cayenne. Stir to combine. Chill well.

To serve, pour 3 ounces of the cider-whiskey base into a rocks glass or punch glass filled with ice, then top with 1 ounce of the sparkling wine. Makes 10–12 drinks.

*Note: If you can’t get yuzu liqueur, try yuzu sake or another citrus liqueur, like Ferrand Dry Curaçao Yuzu Late Harvest or limoncello.

This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Like what you see? Get access to the whole issue by subscribing here today.

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