The Champagne Cocktail Analogue - Liquid Intelligence - The Cocktail Lovers

This piece was originally written for The Cocktail Lovers “Celebration” issue, where the brief was simple: explore what makes champagne cocktails feel so luxurious, then push the boundaries of how to recreate that sparkle, texture and flavour without the usual price tag. In the drinks world, that sweet spot between technique, creativity and affordability is gold dust. So I leaned into the science of bubbles, acidity, and flavour structure to show how bartenders and home cocktail lovers can build a French 75-style experience using clever blends of spirits, acids and carbonation. Champagne cocktails, DIY carbonation, oaked-fruit spirits, fortified wine accents, French 75 hacks — it’s all here. A proper deep-dive into budget-friendly celebration drinking for anyone who wants bar-quality fizz without opening vintage Champagne.

The Champagne Cocktail Analogue

Nothing quite screams celebration like a classic champagne cocktail. Giving a glass of the old bubbly a good slug of high quality booze not only levels up your celebrations but screams, luxury and excess. And when we’re talking champagne cocktails I mean champagne, the biscuity, toasted brioche-y, green apple skin guy from the champagne region of France. Prosecco, whilst having its many qualities, simply doesn't cut the mustard in this context.

But times can be tough so I pose the question: Is there any way of replicating the flavours and effervescence of champagne cocktails, without having to splash out on a bottle of Dom? I would say you can get pretty damn close!

You will first need to consider the balance of flavours, the acidity and of course the carbonation. You should also consider which champagne cocktail you’re looking to emulate. In this case let's pick a French 75.

Originally gin or cognac, fresh lemon, simple sugar syrup and champagne. Let's break this cocktail down into its component parts.

Some of the key nuances we are looking to emulate are: oak, spice, citrus, orchard fruit, florals, nuttiness and toastiness. This can be replicated with oaked, fruity spirits like calvados, armagnac and cognac, the inclusion of fresh pressed green apple juice for acidity. Hints of fortified wines like fino, manzanilla or oloroso sherries will bring in nuttiness and acidity, and floral liqueurs of elderflower, peach or rose can provide delicate top notes.

From an acidity point of view we have a huge complexity of texture including strong malic and tartaric acids coming from the wine itself, citric acid coming from the lemon in the cocktail and carbonic acid from the carbonation. This layered acidity is what provides the length and texture of a great champagne cocktail. This can be replicated by blending a solution of malic, citric and tartaric acids into a ratio of 3:2:1 in that order in a concentration of 20% acid to water.

Finally, champagne is known for its fine, intense bubbles, each one popping on the surface (around 400 per second) delivering aromatics straight to the nose of the drinker.

To achieve anywhere near the quality of carbonation in your cocktail you must consider the following variables: clarity, temperature, pressure and time.

Ensure that the liquid you are carbonating is as clear as possible at minimum using a coffee filter. Any particulate matter will create foaming and kill your carbonation quickly. Next make sure the liquid is as cold as possible without freezing, 1℃ is ideal here, the CO2 will dissolve more readily in chilled liquid. Finally, to force carbonate you ideally need either a high pressure (we’re talking 40 psi) or long time under pressure (1-3 days). Good carbonation can be achieved with a soda stream which sits around 15 psi, but you would have to keep it in the fridge throughout the carbonation process. I would recommend either building a custom carbonation set up, or purchasing a DrinkMate carbonator for the same price as a sodastream, that way you can store your fizzy liquid under pressure in the fridge for a few days and gently release the pressure when its time to open.

250g Alsace Pinot Grigio

150g filtered granny smith apple juice

100g Fanny Fougerat VS Cognac

10g creme de peche

25g gomme 2:1

25g manzanilla sherry

100g mineral water with high calcium content, evian will suffice here

7.5g champagne acid solution*

*to make a champagne acid solution combine 12g of malic acid, 8g citric acid and 4g of tartaric acid to 96g of water, stir to dissolve.

Filter through a coffee filter, chill and carbonate to your heart's content!

Champagne cocktails are the perfect way to celebrate any occasion. But if you're on a budget, don't worry – you can still enjoy their delicious flavours. All you need is some high-quality booze and a few simple ingredients. So next time you're throwing a party, give these recipes a try!

If this kind of deep-dive into flavour and technique hits the spot, reach out. I’m always up for chatting cocktails, carbonation tricks, or anything you want to build for your own bar or home set-up. Drop me a message or tag me if you try your own take — I’d love to see what you create.