Ginger Champagne Cocktail

This Ginger Champagne Cocktail is a fun and festive drink for your Christmas party or New Year's Eve celebration! The simple and quick seasonal beverage is perfect for a cookie exchange, a happy hour with the girls, or any other holiday gathering!

'Tis the season, right?! With Thanksgiving behind us, it's time to start planning those Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations! And what's a holiday party without an easy Champagne cocktail?

Champagne Cocktail Ingredients:

For this festive beverage, you will only need 4 ingredients: fresh ginger, sugar, water, and Champagne (or other sparkling wine such as Prosecco). I've also added a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, but that's an optional touch!

How to Make a Champagne Cocktail:

Let's start with the ginger simple syrup, which flavors your classic Champagne cocktail with a warm, spiced seasonal touch! The simple syrup can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, so it's a great way to simplify your hostess duties.

To begin, you'll need to peel and grate some fresh ginger root.

How to Peel Ginger:

Hold a ginger root firmly in one hand, and use a standard vegetable peeler or the bowl of a metal spoon to scrape the peel off of the ginger. This is an easy way to take off the peel without slicing your hand!

Then use a grater to shred 2 teaspoons of the ginger.

How to Make a Simple Syrup for a Champagne Cocktail:

To prepare the simple syrup, boil ginger, sugar, water and a pinch of both cinnamon and nutmeg in a small saucepan until syrupy (about 2-3 minutes).

Pour the syrup through a fine mesh sieve, and discard the solids.

Transfer the ginger syrup to a glass jar and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or until ready to prepare your Champagne cocktails for the cocktail party!

How to Mix a Champagne Cocktail:

When it's party time, all you have to do is mix the Ginger Champagne Cocktails! To do so, pour about 1 tablespoon of ginger simple syrup in a glass or Champagne flute.

Top with about 5 ounces of Champagne and stir to combine. Cheers!

Hosting a cocktail party never looked so easy!

How much Champagne for a cocktail party?

This recipe yields about ⅓ cup of simple syrup, or enough for 5 drinks. A 750-mL bottle of Champagne fills 5 regular Champagne glasses.

Some guests will have a couple glasses and some will have none at all, so a good rule of thumb is to assume that (on average) you will need one glass of Champagne per guest.

Here's a quick chart that should help with your calculations:

• 10 guests: 2 bottles of Champagne (and 2 recipes of ginger simple syrup)
• 20 guests: 4 bottles of Champagne (and 4 recipes of ginger simple syrup)
• 25 guests: 5 bottles of Champagne (and 5 recipes of ginger simple syrup)
• 30 guests: 6 bottles of Champagne (and 6 recipes of ginger simple syrup)

As you can see, if you're hosting a cocktail party, you will need to double, triple (or more) your simple syrup in proportion with the number of bottles of Champagne that you are using. One recipe of the simple syrup is enough for 1 bottle of Champagne.

Set aside that bottle of beer or that standard glass of red wine...it's time to celebrate with something light, bubbly, and FUN!

What to serve with Champagne Cocktails:

These easy holiday party appetizers pair perfectly with a Ginger Champagne Cocktail:

• Aunt Bee's Cheesy Spinach Squares
• Mom's Easy Candied Pecans
• Easy 5-Ingredient Christmas Snack Mix
• 3-Ingredient Southern Cheese Straws
• 5-Ingredient Creamy Spinach Dip
• 3-Ingredient Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites

This recipe was originally published in December, 2015. It was updated in December, 2018.