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Champagne cocktail

Celebrate Every Day with These Fizzy, Bubbly Cocktails

Sparkling wine is the most festive wine

by Lani Furbank Jun 1, 2016, 3:00pm EDT

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Champagne cocktail

| Fotosr52/Shutterstock

by Lani Furbank Jun 1, 2016, 3:00pm EDT

The spirit of patio season can be encapsulated in one word: bubbles. But since brunch owns the mimosa, what's left to drink on a warm summer night or a sunny happy hour outing? There are plenty of creative fizzy cocktail options that won't conjure up cravings for pancakes or eggs Benedict.

Bartenders are turning to bubbles of every kind — from standbys like Champagne, ginger beer, and soda, to more unique options like pineapple wine, mead, or even sour beer. The result is an extensive selection of bright and fresh concoctions that go beyond the standard combination of fruit and sparkling wine.

No matter where the sparkles come from, there's no denying that a crisp bubbly cocktail is the best drink to sip when the sun comes out. Here are some of the top choices around town to pair with an outdoor meal — or any meal, really.

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2 Birds 1 Stone

The graphically designed menu changes often, but it recently featured a Spicy Paloma ($12) that was made with blanco tequila, lime, red chiles, and Gordy’s Fine Pickle Brine for a salty kick. It got its fizz from house grapefruit soda.

1800 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

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Alphonse Italian Market & Osteria

Alphonse’s new Negroni menu has just about every variation in the book. Naturally, it includes the refreshing bubbly version: the Negroni Sbagliato ($11). ‘Sbagliato’ means mistaken in Italian, because the drink is made with Prosecco instead of gin.

1212 U St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

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Ambar Balkan Cuisine

This Balkan spot strays to the South with their Strawberry Spritz ($10). It’s strawberry grappa (an Italian grape brandy) with Aperol and sparkling wine.

523 8th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

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Also featured in:

Bar Pilar

Less cocktail, more dessert, Bar Pilar’s Hope Don’t Float slushie ($11) is an indulgent combination of fizzy root beer, root liquor and vodka, topped with bourbon vanilla whipped cream.

1833 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

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Also featured in:

barmini by José Andrés

It’s not like a Champagne cocktail needs to be any more sophisticated, but José Andrés still manages to elevate the drink with truffles. Doc is a crisp cocktail with Champagne, pear vodka, truffle honey, and lemon.

501 9th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

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Also featured in:

Beuchert's Saloon

Beuchert’s is known for having locally produced mead on tap from Charm City Meadworks, so they feature the bubbly honey wine in the Beuchert’s 75 ($13). A play on the French 75, it’s made with gin, lemon juice, rosemary syrup, and sparkling basil lemongrass mead.

623 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

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Also featured in:

Bourbon Steak

There’s something to be said for honoring the classics. Bourbon Steak’s 1919 ($14) is a simple Champagne cocktail with a sugar cube, Aperol bitters, and sparkling wine with a grapefruit peel.

2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20007

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Also featured in:

Conosci

Instead of sparkling wine, Conosci opts for sparkling sake in their bubbly cocktail, the Junmai Dojo ($15). It’s made with London Dry Gin, aloe juice, lime juice, and Sparkling Junmai Daiginjo Sake.

465 K St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Copycat Co.

It would be a disservice to neglect one of the most iconic summer sips: the Moscow mule. It’s a simple drink with endless variants, so Copycat Co. will serve it up with any spirit.

1110 H St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002

Visit Website

Also featured in:

DBGB Kitchen and Bar

DBGB’s new seasonal cocktail menu includes quite a few clever drink titles, including the punny “Don’t Worry, We’ve Got Thyme,” ($14) featuring thyme syrup. It also has gin, aperol, fresh-squeezed grapefruit and lime juices, and Prosecco.

931 H St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

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Also featured in:

Eat The Rich

Eat the Rich amps up a pitcher of Budweiser by mixing it with house-made clamato juice. A batch of their Beer ‘n Clam cocktail serves 4.

1839 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

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Also featured in:

Hula Girl Bar & Grill

Embracing the Aloha spirit, Hula Girl’s cocktail menu challenges guests to Say Pineapple 5x Fast ($12). It includes pineapple infused rum, roasted pineapple puree, Hula O’ Maui Pineapple Sparkling Wine, a pineapple-sugar rim, and pineapple foam.

4044 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206

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Jack Rose Dining Saloon

Head up to the Tiki Bar at Jack Rose for a sparkling rum cocktail fit for a sailor. Navy Grog ($13) has three types of rum: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Cruzan Light Rum, and Hamilton Demerara Rum. It’s tempered with lime, grapefruit, honey, and soda.

2007 18th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

Also featured in:

PX

Follow the blue light to the The Start to a Beautiful Life ($16). This cocktail uses local VA Fizz Sparkling Wine, as well as New Amsterdam Vodka, ginger, rosemary, Stoner Apiaries Honey, Lemon Juice, and house made lemon bitters.

Open in Google Maps

728 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314

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The Pig

Peated Scotch plus sour beer makes for a wildly unique bubbly cocktail. The Pig’s Berkshire Fizz ($13) features blended and peated Scotches, lime juice, honey, and Right Proper’s sour Berlin white, Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne.

1320 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

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Also featured in:

Trummer's on Main

It’s not the typical combination of coffee and Irish whiskey, but the Irish Mob ($12) still packs a punch with Sambuca, coffee soda, and Irish whiskey.

7134 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124

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Also featured in:

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2 Birds 1 Stone

1800 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

The graphically designed menu changes often, but it recently featured a Spicy Paloma ($12) that was made with blanco tequila, lime, red chiles, and Gordy’s Fine Pickle Brine for a salty kick. It got its fizz from house grapefruit soda.

1800 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

Alphonse Italian Market & Osteria

1212 U St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Alphonse’s new Negroni menu has just about every variation in the book. Naturally, it includes the refreshing bubbly version: the Negroni Sbagliato ($11). ‘Sbagliato’ means mistaken in Italian, because the drink is made with Prosecco instead of gin.

1212 U St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

Ambar Balkan Cuisine

523 8th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

This Balkan spot strays to the South with their Strawberry Spritz ($10). It’s strawberry grappa (an Italian grape brandy) with Aperol and sparkling wine.

523 8th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

Visit Website

Bar Pilar

1833 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Less cocktail, more dessert, Bar Pilar’s Hope Don’t Float slushie ($11) is an indulgent combination of fizzy root beer, root liquor and vodka, topped with bourbon vanilla whipped cream.

1833 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

barmini by José Andrés

501 9th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

It’s not like a Champagne cocktail needs to be any more sophisticated, but José Andrés still manages to elevate the drink with truffles. Doc is a crisp cocktail with Champagne, pear vodka, truffle honey, and lemon.

501 9th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Visit Website

Beuchert's Saloon

623 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

Beuchert’s is known for having locally produced mead on tap from Charm City Meadworks, so they feature the bubbly honey wine in the Beuchert’s 75 ($13). A play on the French 75, it’s made with gin, lemon juice, rosemary syrup, and sparkling basil lemongrass mead.

623 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

Visit Website

Bourbon Steak

2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20007

There’s something to be said for honoring the classics. Bourbon Steak’s 1919 ($14) is a simple Champagne cocktail with a sugar cube, Aperol bitters, and sparkling wine with a grapefruit peel.

2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20007

Visit Website

Conosci

465 K St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Instead of sparkling wine, Conosci opts for sparkling sake in their bubbly cocktail, the Junmai Dojo ($15). It’s made with London Dry Gin, aloe juice, lime juice, and Sparkling Junmai Daiginjo Sake.

465 K St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Copycat Co.

1110 H St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002

It would be a disservice to neglect one of the most iconic summer sips: the Moscow mule. It’s a simple drink with endless variants, so Copycat Co. will serve it up with any spirit.

1110 H St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002

Visit Website

DBGB Kitchen and Bar

931 H St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

DBGB’s new seasonal cocktail menu includes quite a few clever drink titles, including the punny “Don’t Worry, We’ve Got Thyme,” ($14) featuring thyme syrup. It also has gin, aperol, fresh-squeezed grapefruit and lime juices, and Prosecco.

931 H St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Eat The Rich

1839 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Eat the Rich amps up a pitcher of Budweiser by mixing it with house-made clamato juice. A batch of their Beer ‘n Clam cocktail serves 4.

1839 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Hula Girl Bar & Grill

4044 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206

Embracing the Aloha spirit, Hula Girl’s cocktail menu challenges guests to Say Pineapple 5x Fast ($12). It includes pineapple infused rum, roasted pineapple puree, Hula O’ Maui Pineapple Sparkling Wine, a pineapple-sugar rim, and pineapple foam.

4044 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206

Visit Website

Jack Rose Dining Saloon

2007 18th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Head up to the Tiki Bar at Jack Rose for a sparkling rum cocktail fit for a sailor. Navy Grog ($13) has three types of rum: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Cruzan Light Rum, and Hamilton Demerara Rum. It’s tempered with lime, grapefruit, honey, and soda.

2007 18th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

PX

728 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Follow the blue light to the The Start to a Beautiful Life ($16). This cocktail uses local VA Fizz Sparkling Wine, as well as New Amsterdam Vodka, ginger, rosemary, Stoner Apiaries Honey, Lemon Juice, and house made lemon bitters.

Open in Google Maps

728 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Visit Website

The Pig

1320 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

Peated Scotch plus sour beer makes for a wildly unique bubbly cocktail. The Pig’s Berkshire Fizz ($13) features blended and peated Scotches, lime juice, honey, and Right Proper’s sour Berlin white, Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne.

1320 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

Visit Website

Related Maps

Trummer's on Main

7134 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124

It’s not the typical combination of coffee and Irish whiskey, but the Irish Mob ($12) still packs a punch with Sambuca, coffee soda, and Irish whiskey.

7134 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124

Visit Website

Related Maps