What is the difference between champagne and sparkling wine?

Sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it comes from a specific region in France (not surprisingly called Champagne!). In other words, all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne. It all has to do with where the wine is produced! So, if you're not sure whether to use sparkling wine, or true champagne in these French 77 cocktails, rest assured that either is perfectly fine!

How do you make a lemon twist for garnish?

1. Slice a 1/4-inch thick round from a lemon. Cut a slit on one side of the lemon round. 2. Use a small paring knife to carefully slice around the fruit to separate the peel from the pith and fruit. It's okay if there is a little pith – you need some to make sure the lemon peel keeps its shape. 3. Trim any thick parts of the peel. Twist the peel into a curl and hold it for several seconds until it holds its shape.

French 77 - Crowded Kitchen

Name: French 77
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 ounces elderflower liqueur (St. Germain); 4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice; 16 ounces chilled, dry sparkling wine (Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, etc)

Description

This French 77 is an elegant and refreshing cocktail, with lemon, elderflower liqueur and champagne. It's perfect for your New Year's Eve celebration, or really any special occasion! You only need 3 ingredients and 5 minutes to make a batch.

Ingredients

Units Scale

4 ounces elderflower liqueur (St. Germain)
4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
16 ounces chilled, dry sparkling wine (Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, etc)

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Instructions

Add elderflower liqueur and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake well for 10 seconds.
Divide the mixture evenly between 4 champagne flutes or coupe glasses. Top off with ~4 ounces of champagne per glass.
If adding shimmer dust, add 1/16 tsp to each cocktail.

Notes

Everything tastes best chilled: For the most refreshing cocktail, chill all of the components of this French 77 for several hours before assembling. Since there are only 3 ingredients in this cocktail, having chilled ingredients makes a big difference. You can even chill the glasses if you'd like!

No need to stir: Whether you're making these in individual glasses or in a pitcher, don't stir the sparkling wine together with the rest of the ingredients. Simply pouring it in will mix everything sufficiently.

Sparkling wine: For this recipe, we're using Champagne, but any sparkling wine will work just fine, including Cava or Prosecco. We prefer a good quality sparkling wine here since there are so few ingredients. Whichever wine you choose, make sure it's brut (dry).

Edible glitter: you can order this online or find it in many craft stores. Of course it's totally optional, but the stunning shimmery effect is SO worth it for a special occasion! We used this.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Category: Cocktails
Method: Shaker
Cuisine: French

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 214
Sugar: 14.4 g
Sodium: 7.7 mg
Fat: 0.2 g
Carbohydrates: 17.7 g
Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 0.2 g