How to Make Easy Champagne Tailgating Cocktails

Football season is upon us.  And on game day at University of Illinois, our favorite team (mainly because my nephew goes there), we tailgate.  

And I’m always in charge of the tailgate drinks (go figure).  And in my opinion, the best part of any tailgate party is champagne cocktails.  I try to create a signature cocktail, but then I find myself making a specialty drink of choice custom made to each person.  

I always use the team colors for the straws and cupcake holders for the mason jars.  (If you have no clue what I am talking about, check out last year’s tailgate experience.)

Last year when we went, it was a hot summer day with a 3pm kickoff.  And I made some of the best cocktails and almost made it harder by brining the bottle of champagne (or prosecco or cava) to top the cocktails.  

This year, it was a hot summer day with an 11am kickoff and I knew we were going to be tight on time, since we were making the 2 1/2 hour drive in the morning.  So my goal was to create the best cocktail recipes with the easiest clean up, so we could get out of the parking lot and into the stadium as quickly as possible.

And I have to say, I nailed it with these champagne cocktail recipes  that were so easy, especially when it came time to clean up.  

Now for these morning kickoffs, you can certainly mix up your favorite mimosa recipe.  But for your next tailgate, especially if it’s a morning one like we experienced, if you want to take it to the next level, mix up these champagne cocktails.

Bubbly Cocktail Recipes

I had this brilliant idea to use the sparkling wine split bottle to create these fun bubbly cocktails.  This way, we could transport the cocktails right in the split and when we were done, they went straight into the trash or recycling.  Clean up doesn’t get easier than that.

Now the key to making these work, is to make sure the split bottle you pick up has a twist off cap because not all of them do.  

Grapefruit Ginger

• 3 oz Sparkling Wine 
• 2 oz Pink Grapefruit Liqueur 
• 1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• 1/2 oz Ginger Simple Syrup

If you’re making this right in the bubbly split like we did:

1. Pour 3 oz our of the sparkling wine split.  (Save for another cocktail or enjoy as you’re preparing these.)
2. To the bottle, add grapefruit liqueur, grapefruit juice and simple syrup.
3. Put the cap back on. Turn it upside down GENTLY. 
4. Chill until ready to drink. 

TIP:  If you’re drinking right away, add the grapefruit liqueur, grapefruit juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake until chilled and then pour into the bubbly split.  

We made another version of this Grapefruit Cocktail minus the ginger simple syrup.  

• 3 oz Bubbly
• 2 oz Aperol
• 1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• Splash of sparkling water (optional)

If you’re making this right in the bubbly split like we did:

1. Pour 3 oz our of the split.  (Save for another cocktail or enjoy as you’re preparing these.)
2. To the bottle, add aperol and grapefruit juice.
3. Put the cap back on. Turn it upside down GENTLY. 
4. Chill until ready to drink. 

TIP:  Another great way to use all the extra 3 oz of bubbly from the splits is to make a big batch drink.  It’s an easy way to make a lot of tailgate drinks using your favorite champagne cocktail recipe.

Pomegranate

• 3 oz Sparkling Wine
• 1-1 1/2 oz Pomegranate Vodka
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/2-1 oz Pomegranate Juice
• 1 oz Sparkling Water 
• Lemon slice for garnish (totally optional and a step we usually skip for tailgating)

We made this in the mason jar, so we used 3 oz of sparkling wine that we poured out from the split.  

Then we added the rest of the ingredients and gently stirred.

We chilled until ready to drink.

TIP:  If you’re drinking these right away and want to use ice cubes, simply freeze the pomegranate juice and use them as your ice cubes.  

The drink will evolve over time and will be so good.  

This can be easily doubled depending on the size of your mason jar.

Aperol Cider

• 3 oz Sparkling Wine
• 2 oz Aperol
• 1 oz Apple Cider (or sparkling apple juice)
• 1/2 oz Pumpkin Pie Simple Syrup (or a cinnamon simple syrup)

If you’re making this right in the bubbly split like we did:

1. Pour 3 oz our of the split.  (Save for another cocktail or enjoy as you’re preparing these.)
2. To the bottle, add aperol, apple cider and simple syrup.
3. Put the cap back on. Turn it upside down GENTLY. 
4. Chill until ready to drink. 

​Other Ways to Use Bubbly Splits

I absolutely LOVE how these bubbly split cocktails worked out.  And I think it would be perfect for a holiday party, bridal shower, New Year’s Eve party…truly any celebration.

It’s such a cute look and the only thing you need is to attach a straw to the bottle or simply put them in a champagne flute on the table.

And think of the possibilities!  You can make a classic cocktail like an aperol spritz or French 75.  

Will you be making your next batch of champagne cocktails right in the bubbly split bottle?  

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