Entertaining

The 5 Best Cava Cocktails

If you’ve just picked up a bottle of quality gin and you’d like to highlight the spirit’s flavors in a carbonated cocktail, Cava’s got your back. Unlike Champagne, which can run roughshod over more delicate, subtler flavors of its cocktail cohabitants, Cava is a team player. A Cava-based variation of the classic French 75 will give you that same bubbly effervescence with a extra citrusy kick.

Ditch the fruit-laden, overly sweet sangria and make yourself this dry, nutty alternative. It’s perfect for those mornings where you wake with a toothache from one too many dessert cocktails but still crave a light beverage to clear your head. Cava is the go-to sparkling wine in such a situation, with a touch of citrusy zestiness to round out the sherry-based punch.

On the indulgent side of the Bloody family tree sit the gargantuan, lavishly garnished Bloody Marys that are meals unto themselves. Pulling back a bit is the Bloody Caesar, which uses Clamato in place of tomato juice for a briny variation. One step further back is this bubbly take, which uses sparkling wine to lighten the load. Cava is especially adept at elevating the savory-herbaceous mix.

Prosecco is a natural pairing for Aperol as both come from the Veneto region of Italy, so ousting the Italian bubbly from this classic cocktail may seem heretical—until you taste the remix. Drier than Prosecco, Cava brings out Aperol’s bitter notes, pushing the liqueur toward its bolder sibling, Campari.

This amalgam of two classics, the Sazerac and the Champagne Cocktail, incorporates the former’s strong notes of absinthe into the latter’s bubbly format. While the recipe calls for Prosecco, Cava produces a drier drink with stronger notes of citrus.