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Hazelnut Coffee Champagne Cocktail

December 28, 2016 by Ginger Hultin MS RDN

Every day is champagne cocktail time! We’ve got a lot to celebrate and I love that in cultures around the world we all celebrate with food and/or alcohol. It’s such a social event used to bring people together. That’s what I love the most about cocktails and champagne – it’s a community builder. When I think about having a delicious glass of champagne, I think of Christmas, New Years, a birthday, or an anniversary party. It’s key at weddings and I love to toast with it. I also love to gift it (and be gifted it!). Of course there are guidelines about intake and you also have to really think about how alcohol fits into your unique life and your unique health goals. I’m breaking that down a bit more in the tex below but for now, I wanted to introduce a pretty unique flavored drink: my Hazelnut Coffee Champagne Cocktail.

Alcohol and Your Health

What I mean about assessing if it’s right for you is thinking about how it fits into your life. If you’re a cancer survivor or you’re at high risk, this may not be the best fit. If you’re working on reducing your weight, alcohol can make that a lot harder. If you’ve got blood sugar issues or you’re on a number of medications (many of them very common!), then it may not fit into your life right now. You should also think about your sleep patters and energy levels – alcohol can affect those. However, it can also fit into your life really well! And for many of my clients, it does. Every person is unique but you’ll notice that all of my cocktails have some similarities. They are designed with unique flavors to savor and sip. They often are very low or devoid of artificial ingredients or added sugars. They’re often champagne based. They’re simple to make. I don’t keep a lot of fancy ingredients around.

A lot of my cocktails are fruity or creamy. I really enjoy blending champagne or other sparkling wine with a variety of flavors and I’m really excited to bring you this one which is more savory chocolate-coffee-flavored. If you do need some other champagne inspiration, make sure to check out my Healthier Creme Cocktail, Champagne Citrus Fizz, Smashed Cranberry Cocktail, and even Frose!

Hazelnut Coffee Champagne Cocktail

Making the Hazelnut Coffee Champagne Cocktail

This is actually really easy to make. What you need is champagne or a dry sparkling. I won’t tell you to use a nice bottle of champagne here. That is best for sipping on its own. Whenever you start to make cocktails with champagne you can also feel free to use a dry Cava or Prosecco. These Spanish and Italian varieties are fair game. There are also some beautiful French sparkling wines made outside the Champagne region that go very well in cocktails. When you go to the store to pick it out, it’s very hard to know what’s best. Definitely choose something labeled “Dry” or “Brut” because that will indicate it has lower amounts of sugar in it. Since you’re adding in Frangelico here, you’re already adding some sweetness.

A bottle of wine pretty much serves 5 people so that’s how many this recipe makes. If you’re making it just for 2 or 3 people then you could consider serving the rest of the sparkling wine separately or you could put one of those stoppers designed for champagne in it. It’s different than a cork because it actually preserves the pressure inside the bottle, helping keep it bubbly. It won’t last for long, but it will keep for 12-24 hours. Also remember to keep it chilled.

I really wanted to use Frangelico which is a hazelnut liqueur in a recipe that wasn’t just a coffee drink. It comes in a very distinctive dark brown bottle with a light colored rope around its ‘waist’. Because it’s pretty high in “ABV” (alcohol by volume) and it’s strongly flavored and sweet, a bottle will last you a long time. You do have other options if you don’t want to or can’t use Frangelico for some reason. You could try Amaretto which is an almond liqueur instead. Or if you’re at the liquor store, you can ask for hazelnut liqueur and try a variety by another brand. And finally, if you really need other ideas, you could do something with chocolate undertones but that isn’t creamy like Baily’s. Bicern, another Italian brand makes a good one, as does Bottega Negro. However, many of these are best combined into ACTUAL coffee.

To make a coffee essence drink without actual coffee, you can just use beans. Just use whole roasted coffee beans and even just 1-3 of them in the drink will release that flavor. You’ll notice the coffee oils floating on top of the sparkling wine and it will hit your nose with every drink. Keep in mind that the more beans you add, or the stronger they are, the coffee flavor can become overwhelming.

To make this drink extra delicious, you want to make sure that it features the balance of flavors that you seek. Just use a couple coffee beans so it’s not overwhelming. Make sure your sparkling wine or champgange is very chilled. I’d even suggest chilling your Frangelico so that the whole drink is cold and crisp. I know to some it’s a little taboo, but you’re welcome to drop an ice cube in it to keep it cold as you sip it over time. What I like about that is that it adds some water, cuts the alcohol a bit but keeps the beverage chilled. There’s no shame in drinking your beverage exactly how you like it!

Hazelnut Chocolate Champagne Cocktail

A unique and easy-to-make cocktail with coffee flavors
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 5
Calories:
Author: Ginger Hultin

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle/750ml chilled dry champagne Champagne, Prosecco or Cava
  • 2.5 ounces Frangelico liqueur divided
  • 10 coffee beans

Instructions

  • In a champagne glass, place 1/2 tablespoon (0.25 oz) Frangelico then top with 5 ounces champagne. Stir with and garnish with 2-3coffee beans. Makes 5 servings.
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Ginger Hultin,MS, RD, CSO

An award-winning, nationally recognized nutrition expert and media spokesperson.

Thanks for visiting! If you’re like me: obsessed with eating, wine, going out and traveling, you’re in the right place. Champagne Nutrition® LLC is a Registered Dietitian-run concierge virtual practice helping clients look and feel better. On this blog, you’ll find cocktails, mocktails, and plant-based recipes that are easy to make quickly at home and pack for leftovers on your adventures.

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