A Champagne Shrub Cocktail for Your Next Romantic Evening
A few years ago, I was hired to create a cocktail for a Los Angeles hotel’s Valentine’s Day package. It was at a time when shrub cocktails were the “in” thing in LA. So I thought, “Why don’t I make a Champagne shrub?” After all, Champagne is considered one of the most romantic drinks. I hadn’t seen a lot of shrub cocktails using Champagne so it would be unique and sexy.
The result was this pretty Cupid’s cocktail. And I liked it so much that a year later I included the cocktail recipe in my aphrodisiac cookbook Romancing the Stove.
I call it Cupid’s Kiss, for its kiss of sweetness and beautiful blush pink color. You can save it for Valentine’s Day but I say use it to turn any ordinary evening into a romantic occasion.
Why the Cupid’s Kiss cocktail is a great choice for a romantic evening
Like I said, I developed this Champagne shrub recipe for a hotel. And the feedback was fantastic. I received reports from the hotel bartenders that it was the best Champagne cocktail if you were looking for a “sure thing.” Wow! That’s an endorsement!
In general, I think Champagne cocktails are great for date night. Champagne is famously aphrodisiac and on its own, it is considered a drink of romance. But when you take Champagne or sparkling wine and layer it with additional aphrodisiac ingredients like strawberries and raspberries, it becomes even more of a special occasion drink–and one that’s right for romance.
What is a shrub cocktail?
I mentioned in the introduction that this is a shrub drink. Calling a cocktail a shrub drink means it’s a cocktail made with concentrated fruit acid syrup, aka shrub. To make a shrub you combine fruit with sugar and vinegar. The most common vinegar for shrubs is apple cider vinegar but for this cocktail, I add homemade balsamic fruit syrup to the Champagne.
If you enjoy this Champagne cocktail, I recommend you look further into the history and practice of creating shrubs. They really do bring a special something to the cocktail world.
How do you make it?
This drink recipe does require some advance prep because the balsamic fruit syrup–the shrub part of this cocktail–has to marinate. So the first thing you need to do, aside from chilling your Champagne, is make the balsamic syrup.
To make the balsamic fruit syrup
- Balsamic vinegar
- Thawed, frozen raspberries
- Thawed, frozen strawberries
- Granulated sugar
Be sure to allow 30-60 minutes for the mixture to marinate. Before you strain, taste the berry mixture. If it isn’t sweet enough, add in more sugar, one teaspoon at a time. Mix it thoroughly and let it sit for another ten minutes before straining.
Once it’s strained, store the syrup in the refrigerator in a sealed container until you’re ready to create your cocktails.
Why do you use frozen fruit for the fruit syrup?
Although this drink starts with good sparkling wine, you’ve got to get your fruit syrup right. And that means you have to use thawed, frozen strawberries and raspberries.
Though you might be tempted, in season, to use freshly picked berries, don’t waste them in this cocktail recipe. I’m telling you, it works best from frozen. Save the fresh berries to pop between your lovers’ lips as a sweet midnight snack.
What kind of Champagne should you use for this cocktail recipe?
To make this drink you should use what’s called Brut-style Champagne. (This is a dry style of Champagne, which is what you want for blending with the sweet syrup.) Of course, you can use sparkling wine from anywhere in the world but it should be a Brut-style wine, whether you use Champagne, Cava, Cremant or an American sparkling wine.
Note that you do not need to use a special bottle of sparkling wine for this cocktail recipe. Save that vintage bottle for another occasion. If you don’t want to splurge for Champagne, I recommend looking for a Brut sparkling wine in the $15 range.
To assemble
Once you’ve allowed your balsamic syrup to marinate and you’ve strained out the berries, making this cocktail couldn’t be easier. Just add one tablespoon of balsamic syrup to each of two Champagne flutes then top each with five ounces of Champagne or sparkling wine.
If you like this Champagne shrub recipe, you’ll probably like the whole cookbook. You can check out Romancing the Stove and view excerpts on Amazon.com.
Cupid’s Kiss Champagne Shrub Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp balsamic fruit syrup
- 10 oz Brut Champagne or sparkling wine
for the balsamic fruit syrup
- 1/2 cup thawed frozen raspberries
- 1/2 cup thawed frozen strawberries
- 3-4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
To make the balsamic syrup
- Marinate fruit and 3 tbsp sugar in the balsamic for 30 minutes-1 hour.
- Taste mixture, and if it is not sweet enough, stir in additional sugar 1 tsp at a time, up to 3 tsp, allowing fruit to marinate for an additional 10 minutes.
- Strain to remove seeds, pressing fruit against the strainer to release all the juice. Store juice in the refrigerator until serving. Store leftover fruit syrup in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.*
To assemble the cocktail
- Add 1 tablespoon of the balsamic fruit syrup to each of two Champagne flutes.
- Top each flute with five ounces of Champagne or sparkling wine. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
A note on the provided nutrition information
The nutrition information provided has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.Nutrition
This article was updated in May 2024 with a new introduction.
Amy is considered a leading authority on aphrodisiacs. Her work in aphrodisiacs is quoted in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, Epicurious, Wine Enthusiast, Health and Playboy magazines. She speaks internationally on aphrodisiac foods and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac history and science to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. She is a frequent guest on relationship and lifestyle radio and podcast shows and has been interviewed by BBC and NPR radio, Cosmopolitan radio and popular podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno.
Amy is also a freelance food, wine and health researcher and writer as well as a wine competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is an MSN content provider. And she is also a former wine editor for Gayot.com and wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine.
Fun fact: Amy was the creator of the first ever comprehensive food and wine apps, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet and Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard for Palm.
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