A lightening fast recipe that can’t help but put you in a celebratory mood, this light and fizzy drink takes the classic, elegant combination of strawberries and champagne and turns it into a breezy cocktail that will have you feeling your finest, even if you are partying the way we are tonight: in our sweatpants! This is a recipe for a jazzed-up glass of bubbly. It feels fancy in the best kind of way. The ingredients in strawberry champagne are strawberry puree, a touch of lemon juice for brightness, and the dry sparkling wine of your choice (see below for options). The strawberry puree will float around in the glass a bit, giving it a soft and lovely ombre appearance. You can serve this effervescent, pretty drink as an aperitif in the evenings. Since it is essentially a strawberry bellini, it’s also a stellar choice for a special brunch. I can see it being just the right cocktail for Mother’s Day and bridal showers. Personally, I’ll be enjoying an extra pour for my birthday punch!
The History of Strawberries and Champagne
Making this champagne cocktail got me to wondering how and why we put strawberries in champagne. Both strawberries and champagne are frequently associated with love and celebrations. Courtesy of their bright red hue and heart-shaped appearance, strawberries were once even considered a symbol of the goddess of love herself, Venus. There’s not a conclusive answer as to why strawberries were first added to champagne, but I’d wager that it had to do with the dynamite flavor combination and appealing aesthetic. Not only do strawberries become beautifully iridescent in a glass of bubbly, but they also add rich, appealing color and a sweet flavor that complements the dryness of the champagne. Sounds like the perfect combination to me! If you’d like to hypothesize further, I recommend doing so with a glass of strawberry champagne in hand.
How to Make the Best Strawberry Champagne
When you are shopping for sparkling wine, you might spy a bright pink bottle labeled “Strawberry Champagne.” STAY AWAY. This strawberry champagne is a strawberry-flavored, super sweet Moscato wine that is a far cry from the balanced, pleasantly fruity sipper we’ll be making today. For the real strawberry champagne, read on!
The Ingredients
Champagne. Or any dry sparkling wine. Look for a bottle labeled “brut,” which confusingly is actually drier than bottles that are labeled “dry” or even “extra dry.” A trick to help you remember: brut = “brutally dry.”
As its name suggests, champagne is the classic sparkling wine to use in a strawberry champagne cocktail, but it is absolutely not the only option. If a wine is labeled “champagne,” that means it was produced in the Champagne region of France following a specific set of established rules and methods. Champagne is wonderful, but it’s usually more expensive, which is why when I have the chance to drink it, I often prefer to sip it on its own. Any dry (meaning brut) sparkling wine works well in this recipe. You can use cava (which is Spanish), Prosecco (Italy’s version of champagne), Crémant (another French sparkling wine), or a sparkling wine from California—all are great options!
The one non-negotiable is that the sparkling wine taste as dry as possible. If the bottle isn’t labeled brut (Prosecco for example often doesn’t specify), try asking the wine shop owner or looking up info about that label online.
Strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. I used fresh, which will create a thinner puree more like a bellini. Frozen will make your drink extra cool and frosty. Both are delish options. Lemon Juice. It brightens up the flavors. This drink doesn’t taste lemony; rather the juice helps the taste of the strawberries pop.
THAT’S IT! You can gussy it up more if you feel so inclined (see ideas below), but with just these three ingredients, you can make a stellar pink drink.
The Directions
Make Ahead + Storage Tips
To Make Ahead. Prepare the strawberry puree up to 2 days in advance, storing it in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator (the less air in the jar, the better). Portion the puree into glasses and top with champagne just before serving. To Store. Store leftover strawberry puree in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Top with champagne just before serving.
Recipe Variations
Use this strawberry champagne recipe as a starting point, and feel free to add other touches to make it your own. I have a few suggestions for you here.
Strawberry Champagne on Ice. Tune into Bruno Mars and serve this strawberry champagne on ice. Fill your glass with a few ice cubes prior to adding the strawberry puree and bubbly. Sip with a straw. Strawberry Champagne with Grand Marnier. Add ½ teaspoon of orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau into each glass prior to adding the strawberry puree. Strawberry 75. For each cocktail, add 1 ounce of gin or vodka and ½ ounce simple syrup. Shake the strawberry puree, vodka/gin, and simple syrup together in a cocktail shaker with ice (or a mason jar with the lid on tight), strain into the glass, then top with champagne. Strawberry Champagne with Vanilla. Add ½ ounce pure vanilla extract to the strawberry puree.
More Champagne Cocktail Recipes
St. Germain Cocktail Champagne Punch Raspberry Champagne Float Apple Cider Champagne Cocktail
Recommend Tools to Make This Recipe
Mini Food Processor. I just added this mini food processor to my kitchen collection (here it is in black), and I LOVE IT. It makes chopping and pureeing small amounts of ingredients a breeze and is much easier to clean up than my full-sized blender or food processor. Pretty Champagne Flutes. Here are the stemless ones I used ($19.99 for a set of four); a set with handles is elegant too.
While this birthday might not look like any other I’ve had before (to say the least!), I feel so incredibly blessed to be in good health, spending the day with someone I love, and to be able to have a glass of this fizzy strawberry champagne in my hand. I hope this easy cocktail recipe adds a little glitter to your day too!
