When it comes to New Year's Eve celebrations, you can't go wrong with a champagne cocktail. This easy Blackberry Thyme Sparkler is made with a simple homemade blackberry simple syrup and garnished with a gold sugar rim. Your guests will love this elegant champagne cocktail recipe!
After a week filled with family, celebrations, and delicious dish after delicious dish, Aaron and I landed back in LA late last night. Can we all just agree that there is no sleep like that which occurs in your own bed? It felt really good to wake up this morning tucked into my own sheets with my head on my favorite pillow.
Since New Year's Eve is tomorrow, I thought we should squeeze in one last champagne cocktail recipe before we bid this year adieu! This ombre-colored bubbly cocktail (and the super chic champagne flute) is just as delicious as it is easy on the eyes.
There's never a bad time for a cocktail!
How to Make This Champagne Cocktail Recipe
- In a small saucepan, bring blackberries, water, and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the blackberries are soft and the simple syrup has turned to a bright pink/redish color.
- Remove from heat, drain blackberries, and allow to cool. This step can be done well in advance as the syrup will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.
- Prepare your champagne glasses.
- Okay, so here is a dirty little secret of getting those beautiful salts and sugars to stay atop the rim: butter. It adheres perfectly. Place the tiniest amount between your fingers and rub just around the rim of the glass before dipping the glass into the gold baking sugar.
- Begin by adding one ounce of gin followed by one ounce of homemade blackberry simple syrup to each glass.
- Next drop two blackberries in each glass.
- Fill the rest of the glass with champagne and top with a sprig of thyme in each glass. Voila!
How to serve your champagne cocktails
Rather than bringing out the glasses individually to your guests, I like to serve them on a simply decorated tray.
We first used this acrylic tray for our fall sangria post and it has continued to come in handy ever since. A little bit of gold star confetti and voila: a total NYE appropriate serving tray.
I had these luxe leather coasters sitting out during our team holiday party and so many people commented on how great they were. They're classic and chic and add another layer of texture to a table.
Homemade blackberry simple syrup recipe
I love making homemade simple syrups. They are such a great way of adding flavor to cocktails and the name says it all - they are so simple to make! Fruit, sugar and water is all you need. Once you've made the syrup, let it cool and transfer in to an air tight container, keep it in the fridge and it will keep for up to a week.
A show stopping New Year's Eve champagne cocktail
When we host New Year's Eve, I want a good amount of sparkle in my decor and drinks! The gold sugar rim adds a subtle and chic festive feel to these cocktails. The prettiest cocktail, right?! I'm not just biased?
Top Tips To Make This Blueberry Thyme Sparkler
- Make your simple syrup ahead of time and it will only take 5 minutes to prepare these festive cocktails.
- Use a tiny amount of butter on the rim so that the sugar sticks and stays in place.
- Garnish the drink with fresh blackberries and thyme for color and fragrance.
- Serve these cocktails immediately so that they don't loose their fizz.
For more cocktail recipes:
I would love to hear what you think of this New Year's Eve champagne cocktail recipe. Be sure to drop us a note in the comments below. We would love to know what is your favorite champagne cocktail recipe!
Cocktail Hour / Blackberry Thyme Sparkler a Champagne Cocktail
Equipment
- champagne glasses
Ingredients
- ½ c. blackberries + 8 more for garnish
- 1 c. Water
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 bottle of champagne
- 4 ounces or ½ c. gin
- 4 long sprigs of thyme
- 1 c. ice
- gold baking sugar for the rim
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring blackberries, water, and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the blackberries are soft and the simple syrup has turned to a bright pink/redish color.
- Remove from heat, drain blackberries, and allow to cool. This step can be done well in advance as the syrup will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.
- Prepare your champagne glasses.
- Okay, so here is a dirty little secret of getting those beautiful salts and sugars to stay atop the rim: butter. It adheres perfectly. Place the tiniest amount between your fingers and rub just around the rim of the glass before dipping the glass into the gold baking sugar.
- Begin by adding 1 ounce of gin followed by 1.5 ounces of homemade blackberry simple syrup to each glass.
- Next drop two blackberries in each glass.
- Fill the rest of the glass with champagne and top with a sprig of thyme in each glass. Voila!
Nutrition
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Photography by Melissa Valladares
Leather Coasters, Cocktail Shaker, and Acrylic Tray by Mark and Graham
PS. Enjoy this post? See all of our cocktail recipes here!
Jan says
Hi Jen!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. it tastes delicious and is pretty easy! thanks also for the sugar rim tip.
Like the other commenters, i could not get the drink to achieve that coveted ombre effect. As this recipe is over 5 years old, I was just wondering if you've figured out any tips or trips for the ombre effect that you could share? It's so pretty and would def add a wow factor.
Thanks so much!
Jen Pinkston says
Thanks so much for letting me know, Jan! I need to revisit this one!
Vincent says
How did you get the hombre effect in the cocktail, or is the pink on the bottom part of the design of the champagne flute?
Jen Pinkston says
Hi Vincent, I have to say it was a happy accident. I had no idea it would do this when we were creating them.
Ashley says
Loved this Cocktail! Made it as a welcome drink for my wine tastkng. I followed the instructions but the ombre effect was not as drastic as the picture. However, i did notice the longer they sat, the More the omBre effect was noticeable.
The drink tasted great! UsinG the butter to rim the glasses definitely worked just like she said. Such a great tip to Remember for addiding sugar to a glass rim.
Overall awesome drink!
Maude says
Delicious cocktail! But when we pour everything into the glass that "ombré" effect didn't happen. Just bright pink top to bottom. Is there an exact order to pour the ingredients? Do we have to wait until the syrup settles? Should we just use one ounce of syrup instead of two?
Jen Pinkston says
Hey Maude, I am so bummed they didn't turned out! The ombre effect was such a happy accident and I did my best to replicate it in the instructions exactly as we did it. It's been almost three years since we made that recipe now, so all I remember is what is there in the text. Did you follow the exact order of the text?
dana stephenson says
what the heck is a pregnant lady doing drinking a champagne+gin cocktail? hopefully hers is a non alcoholic version. wow guys, that was a real boo-boo.
Jen Pinkston says
Read the copy and rest assured. No babies were harmed in the making of this post
Moira says
Do you REALLY drink alcohol when you are pregnant ???????????????????
stephanie says
Great looking cocktail! I hope the baby bump lady is not going to drink that gin/champagne! LOL
Lori says
We tried this at a party tonight. It tasted amazing. Unfortunately we were not able to duplicate the ombré look. The whole thing turned redish/pink. Is it really 2 ounces of the syrup? Yours looks like much less in the pic. Thank you for the recipe. It is divine! I look forward to perfecting it and would love your input 🙂
Lori
Christine Karr says
Hi! The recipe looks delicious and those glasses really make it stand out. Can you tell me where to find them, what you call them, anything you happen to have on these particular glasses. My sister-in-law and have been looking for them forever with no luck!
Thanks and may God bless!!
Jen Pinkston says
Absolutely! You can purchase them from Hayneedle: http://bit.ly/1bPwDEo
Sarah says
love the rim with the sugar it almost looks like gold sparkly glitter!
Alex says
Blackberry & thyme are two of my favorite flavor combinations; blackberries, thyme, goat cheese, and arugula is my go-to flatbread recipe!
But blackberries, thyme, and champagne!? YES.
Amanda says
Love these champagne glasses! Where did you get them from?
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker says
I'm not sure there could be a prettier cocktail than this one you've made here. The ombré effect is perfect! Gorgeous presentation. 🙂
Leah // Freutcake says
These are absolutely gorgeous my friend! Cheers to 2014!
Rachael | Spache the Spatula says
These cocktails are unbelievably stunning! (And I love the cute little gold star glitter!)
Sini | my blue&white kitchen says
This cocktail looks stunning! Rustic and elegant at the same time. Have a wonderful 2014!
Jen Pinkston says
Thank you, Sini! Happy new year!
kelsey says
what a gorgeous cocktail!
ladies in navy
Jen Pinkston says
Thanks, Kelsey! It is certainly easy on the eyes 😉
andreavytlacilova says
Looks delicious! 🙂 Happy new year!
ANDREA
Jen Pinkston says
Thanks, Andrea! Happy new year to you!
Catherine says
Love this! All of it. Need to try the recipe. 🙂
Jen Pinkston says
If only I could try it with you! Hope you guys have a great NYE! Let's set a lunch date soon!
Chel says
Great cocktail recipe and look at that baby bump...Beautiful Jen!
Jen Pinkston says
Thank you so much, Chel!