Whether for New Year’s or Valentine’s Day, upgrade your Champagne game with these creative cocktails.

ESTABLISHMENT

Poor As F@#K!

Looking for something to serve your guests that won’t leave them with morning after amnesia? “The POOR AS F@#K! is a refreshing, lighter-alcohol cocktail that picks up the delicious and fizzy grapefruit notes from Stiegl Radler, a draft beverage that combines beer and fruit soda, and blends perfectly with champagne,” says Establishment’s Reed. “It’s a fun cocktail you can make at home for the holidays that’s slightly less boozy.”

5 to 7 oz. Stiegl Radler draft
5 to 7 oz. Champagne or brut
4 dashes 18.21 Grapefruit Lavender Bitters

Place a few ice cubes in a Collins glass. Fill halfway with Stiegl Radler draft. Top with Champagne or brut and 4 dashes of 18.21 Grapefruit Lavender Bitters.

Champagne Supernova

Winter months and occasions often call for hot, heavy beverages, but that doesn’t always have to be the case: You can go light and crisp in cool weather, too. Case in point: the Champagne Supernova. “This is a great holiday sipper that’s sparking and light on the palate,” says Reed.

1¼ oz. barrel-aged Genever
¼ oz. Pamplemousse Rose n
½ oz. lemon juice n Champagne for topper n
3 dashes 18.21 Coconut Lemongrass Tincture n
Orange expression for garnish

In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine and shake the Genever, Pamplemousse Rose and lemon juice. Strain into a chilled coupe, and top with Champagne and 3 dashes of 18.21 Coconut Lemongrass Tincture. Garnish with orange expression.

FOXTROT LIQUOR BAR

Emerald City

Classics are failsafe when it comes to a special fête, but a little update on an old favorite goes a long way. “Kind of following the mold of a French 75 (by way of a cucumber margarita), I substituted mezcal for gin or cognac, switched from lemon to lime and used a cucumber simple syrup instead of a straightforward one,” says Gianaras of the Emerald City. “I added an orange liqueur to enhance the recipe.”

1 oz. Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
½ oz. New Holland Clockwork Orange liqueur n
½ oz. fresh lime juice n ½ oz. cucumber simple syrup* n
1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters n
Dry sparkling wine

Add all ingredients except for sparkling wine in a mixing glass, and shake vigorously. Double strain into Champagne flute or coupe, and top with bubbles. Garnish with a thin cucumber slice. *To make the cucumber simple syrup, peel a whole English cucumber, then dice and combine it with one quart simple syrup in a blender. After puree is completed, fine strain through a chinois.

The Shelbourne

With Atlanta’s location at the heart of the South, whiskeys, bourbons and other brown spirits are part and parcel of a good party. “This cocktail was inspired by the Seelbach, a similar cocktail that was invented at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville using bourbon and orange liqueur. I found that the Teeling Single Grain (Irish whiskey) pairs well with grapefruit, and I adjusted the recipe accordingly,” says Gianaras. “The Shelbourne is a grand hotel in Dublin, hence the name.”

1¼ oz. Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey
½ oz. Combier Creme de Pamplemousse
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Dry sparkling wine
Grapefruit peel for garnish

Combine whiskey, Creme de Pamplemousse and bitters in a mixing glass with ice, and stir until well chilled. Using a julep strainer, strain into a Champagne flute or coupe, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with expressed grapefruit peel.

STORY: Lindsay Lambert Day

PHOTO: Erik Meadows