All About Champagne...

Since champagne is the beverage of choice on New Year's Eve, here’s a quick guide to make your champagne selection easier:

• Brut: extremely dry (less than 1.5% sugar)
• Extra sec or extra dry: dry (1.2-2.0% sugar)
• Sec: slightly sweet (1.7-3.5% sugar)
• Demi-sec: sweet (3.3-5.0% sugar); dessert wine
• Doux: very sweet (over 5.0% sugar); dessert wine

We all know that champagne should be served chilled (refrigerate for two hours before serving). But be careful not to over-chill your champagne; otherwise you will dull both the flavor and the bouquet.

To keep your champagne sparkling after the party is over, use an inexpensive metal champagne stopper. If you don’t have one of those handy, drop a stainless-steel needle or pin into the bottle, then fasten a balloon over the top with a rubber band. This will maintain the effervescence for about two days.

1. Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale

2. Crimson Spice Champagne Cocktail 

3. Raspberry Sparkler 

4. Sparkling Sangria 

5. Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail 

6. Sparkling Passion-Fruit Aperitifs

7. Framboise Spritzers

8. Sparkling Rosemary-Peach Cocktails

9. Rossini Bellini

10. Cran-Raspberry Spritzer 

11. Champagne Limoncello Cocktails

12. Sparkling Cranberry Blush

In lieu of champagne, you may want to try a sparking wine, here are five to try.