User post: 20 Simple Ingredients to Set Up a Champagne Bar
A bit of the bubbly is the perfect cure for the Black Friday Blues and Family Drama Overload of the holiday season. Most people reserve the bubbly stuff for weddings and New Year's Eve. I say bring out something bubbly for those times that your groove is less than sparkling. I like to mix things up every year and serve my guests something different from the staple wine and beer.
I'll be entertaining over the holidays so I plan on stocking loads of bubbly in my wine fridge. I'll set out a few odds and ends for my guests to plop into their glass should they prefer a tinge of color or a walk on the wild side. You'll thrill your guests and be the talk of the town if you set up a simple champagne bar.
Simply place your champagne glasses on a tray alongside some cocktail napkins (I have an unhealthy infatuation with cocktail napkins. I. Can't. Stop. Buying. Them.). Put everything in mismatched little bowls and pitchers. Make it casual to whack the snooty air right out of champagne's hoity toity nature. It's really much more approachable than people realize. And by all means, you don't have to be a purist here. Use prosecco or cava instead of champagne. But by all means, leave the asti spumante in the regifting closet where it belongs.
For the Champagne Bar:
frozen raspberries
frozen strawberries
thinly sliced clementines
pineapple wedges
sliced star fruit
sugar cubes
orange juice
pomegranate juice
pineapple juice
peach puree
mango nectar
Cointreau
gin
vodka
creme de cassis
simple syrup
orange peel
lemon peel
whole mint leaves
candied ginger