I would call them "Champagne Cocktails," but there's not a drop of
French Champagne in this house. No, it's all sunny California sparkling wine.
For a garden party, it's always easier to mix the drinks in a large pitcher, keep it cool, and pour, rather than making each cocktail individually. Don't make sparkling wine drinks too far in advance, though, because you might lose all the sparkle.
Everyone who's gone to a hotel brunch knows the Mimosa. It's easy. Two parts orange juice to 1 part sparkling wine, plus a splash or two of orange liqueur like Grand Marnier. If you're slightly heavy handed with the sparkling wine, that's okay. In fact, if you're slightly heavy handed with the sparkling wine for any of these, your guests might love you even more.
The Bellini is peachy. For every 750 mL bottle of sparkling wine (technically, we'd go with the Italian prosecco), add 1 c. very smooth peach puree, 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice, and enough sugar to sweeten to taste.
Kir Royale is my favorite. For every 750 mL of sparkling wine, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of creme de Cassis. That's black currant liqueur, and it makes the drink pink!
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