A Toast To Innovation: A Complete Guide To Innovative-Fused Champagne Siders

Bubbly with a Twist: Creative Champagne Cider Recipes

We look at Champagne as a drink of celebration. In fact, Americans pour 360 million glasses of the sparkly stuff on New Year’s alone. That’s not counting Independence Day and every other occasion we toast to with a glass of Champagne.

For some, nothing compares to the taste of a classic bottle of Moët & Chandon. But for those willing to experiment, Champagne-infused cider may easily give it a run for its money.

In this guide, we explore the possibilities of Champagne cider, what to do pair it with, as well as provide a few cocktail recipes to get you started.

General Information

This latest innovation in Champagne is a combination of Champagne and cider. You can even find or make non-alcoholic versions, sparkling ciders, if you’d like the cider and bubbles without the alcohol.

To give you a general idea of what this consists of: it’s first a cider — a beverage made from crushing a fruit. It’s unfermented to avoid any portion of it turning to alcohol.

You can also find ‘hard’ ciders. These are drinks made from crushing fruit, but the manufacturer or maker allows them to ferment and develop an alcohol concentration.

Besides apples, some other fruits used to make ciders include the following:

• Pears
• Pineapples
• Cranberries
• Grapes
• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries

The next portion of this infused beverage is Champagne — a sparkling drink, specifically a wine, made from grapes from the Champagne region of France. Interestingly enough, the only drinks that can claim the name ‘Champagne’ are the ones made with grapes from Champagne, France, as dictated by French law. We’d like to note that this beverage has a long history.

Together, when these drinks combine, you receive a tart, sweet, fizzy beverage with a distinctive flavor.

What Champagne to Use

There are so many Champagnes on the market nowadays, each with different flavor profiles. With so many to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which one goes with which mixer. Let’s be honest with ourselves; there’s an entire science dedicated to mixed drinks, further making choosing even more overwhelming.

Ultimately, you can pair any Champagne of your choice with cider if you’d like to choose your favorite.

However, one type pairs better with cider more than any other — Extra Brut Well, we guess two because Brut could also work. The reason is because of the amount of added sugar in the Champagne.

Brut and Extra-Brut sparkling wines, including Champagne, have a lower added sugar content, making them less sweet than Dry versions. Because they’re not as sweet, they pair well with cider, you know that’s already sweet with a sour punch. With less sugar in the Champagne, the natural flavors of the cider come through.

Champagne-Infused Cider Recipes

You can purchase cider already infused with Champagne. But what fun is that? Wouldn’t you rather make your own? You can control how much of each ingredient is in the cocktail to create the perfect mixed drink.

If you’re lacking inspiration at the moment, we have some ideas. Feel free to get creative and put your own spin on these. You might just make a drink that’s out of this world.

As a side note, if you have your medical card and would like to enjoy a cocktail, you may always choose a non-alcoholic Champagne or sparkling wine on any day you plan to partake. This rule goes for anyone who’d rather not have any alcohol.

Apple Cider Mimosa

The cocktail itself has two ingredients — apple cider and Champagne. However, if you’re making it for a special occasion or would like to treat yourself, give it an earthy fall taste by dipping the rim of the glass in cinnamon sugar.

We recommend filling a quarter of the cup with apple cider and then filling the rest with Champagne. Feel free to experiment and find your happy place, though.

Apple Cider Cocktail With a Hint of Maple

Whether you’re looking for a cocktail to serve at your next brunch or want something for your next holiday gathering, the combination of maple, apple cider, and Champagne makes this quite a festive treat.

For this, you’ll need apple cider, vodka, Champagne, and maple syrup. We found that this is a harmonious combination but feel free to tweak the recipe to your preference:

• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup Champagne
• 1/4 cup vodka (2 oz.)
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Enhance its flavor even more by dipping the rim in a sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon mix. You could also add a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon directly into the drink.

Pairing Champagne-Fused Cider With Food

If you like Chinese, an ice-cold, sparkling cider goes well with a rich, flavorful dish like General Tso’s chicken, whether you take the time to make it yourself or simply use your phone to place an order. This drink would also pair well with sweet and sour chicken or fried rice.

Classic dishes like pork chops served how you like them, could pair well with Champagne-infused cider. The mild flavor of the pork, along with its fattiness, allows it to take on sweet flavors well.

A hearty dish like a chicken casserole could also use a glass on the side to balance the richness. Fortunately, almost any chicken dish will pair with it since this meat, like pork, is also a mild flavor.

Hear hear! Let’s toast to the latest innovation in Champagne, a tart, sweet blend with some fizz. This drink is versatile and pairs well with a variety of dishes. Not to mention, you can create your cocktails or mocktails with it since it has the perfect blend of pizzazz and tang.