Hi cocktail lovers! I hope you all had a great New Years - socially distanced and all. Personally, I binged watched Bridgerton with my pup while sipping champagne. Which is why I still have an open bottle of champagne in my fridge as we speak - don't worry, I resealed it! So before I dig into another year of ready-to-drink cocktail reviews, I wanted to share with you my favorite tip for using up champagne - which is of course to turn it into an easy cocktail.

Mix it up!

I discovered this hack several years ago and I've been doing it ever since. Simply top off your glass of champagne with a mixer - the more unique the better. You could go with oj for a mimosa or peach nectar for a bellini but there are so many more options! 

My very favorite champagne mixer so far is the blueberry pomegranate juice from Pom. For this post I decided to change it up and I picked up this straight blueberry juice from Trader Joes. I garnished it using a Swizzly™ of course and some fresh blueberries.
  

I did like the TJ's blueberry juice but I think the blueberry Pom will stand as my number one pick for awhile longer. The blueberry juice give the champagne a slightly sweeter taste and most importantly, it changes it into a brand new drink.

Here are some more unique champagne mixer options to try:

• Flavored sparkling water - the pineapple Spindrift is great!
• Kombucha - add a few ounces of your favorite flavor
• Apple cider - another one of my favorite hacks
• Guinness - I know its weird but its actually pretty good
• Lemon juice + vodka - for a true cocktail
• Gin + lemon juice + honey - for another true cocktail. This becomes a sparkling version of a Bees Knees. 

I hope this gave you some ideas. Have fun with it! Champagne is one of the easier liquors to play around with and you might just stumble on the next great champagne cocktail. And if you do, please let me know what it is in the comments so I can give it a try as well.

I'll be back next Friday with our first ready-to-drink cocktail review of the year. Until then, cheers!