The bartender walks over and asks for your drink order. The waitress greets you and asks if you want anything else. Both times, you order the same drink you always do because you’re not sure if you’ll like anything else. Forbes reports that most Americans continue to prefer their exact first alcoholic drink or some variation of it for the rest of their lives. If it’s a sweet-tasting beverage, such as a sweet wine or cocktail, it’s even more apparent. While beer and red wine are almost tied as the top-consumed alcoholic beverages in the U.S. today, cocktails are a toss-up. As a “first” drink, unless 21-year-olds (or older) had a friend who was a bit of a mixologist, some drink orders may never cross their minds. So how do Americans switch it up? By testing out new drinks on their new. Try the French Kiss Cocktail today.

How To Make a French Kiss Cocktail

There are two variations of this drink. The first one is a French Kiss Champagne Cocktail. The second one is a French Kiss Vodka Cocktail. If you’re not sure which one you’ll like more and have a designated driver, try both and answer your own question.

1. French Kiss Champagne Cocktail 

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of champagne or sparkling wine
• 1 ounce of Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
• 1 sugar cube (optional)
• Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Directions:

1. For extra sweetener, place a sugar cube at the bottom of a champagne flute.
2. Pour in the Chambord.
3. Top with chilled champagne or sparkling wine.
4. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

2. French Kiss Vodka Cocktail

Directions:

• 2 ounces of vanilla vodka
• 1 ounce of Chambord (or crème de cassis)
• 1 ounce of cream or half & half
• Ice
• Shaved chocolate (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Add vanilla vodka, Chambord and cream.
3. Shake well until chilled.
4. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
5. Garnish with shaved chocolate or a raspberry.

The Story Behind Chambord

Loire Valley is the home of Chambord liqueur, where blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants are mixed together. They’re then left to infuse for four weeks before the second stage of pressing berries. By the third and final stage, it’s mixed with raspberry varietals. The spirit also includes XO Cognac, that has been cask aged for a minimum of six years, along with flavors of citrus peels, honey and vanilla. Without sugar cubes, shaved chocolate or champagne, Chambord is approximately 110 calories with 14 grams of sugar and 14 grams of carbohydrates. Considering how much care goes into Chambord with berries already, it’s especially important that the French Kiss Champagne Cocktail raspberries used for garnish are also fresh. It is wise to taste the drink first to make sure that the extra raspberries for garnish are as good as the ones in the wine glass.

Young Versus Aging Champagne for French Kiss Cocktails

Most non-vintage champagnes are intended to be consumed at the “young” age of three to five years old. Vintage champagnes, on the other hand, can be more than 10 years old. If the champagne is old, it may have lost a little of its carbonation already, so shaking it could disturb any sediment formed and make the drink look cloudy. If you’re worried about whether old champagne still tastes good, chill it in one of two ways. Put half ice and half water in an ice bucket to let champagne chill for up to 30 minutes. Or, put champagne in a refrigerator for two to four hours at a temperature of 45°F to 50°F. Then, gently open the champagne bottle at a 45-degree angle and ease the cork out slowly.

Storing the Champagne Bottle After It’s Opened

For short-term storage (up to three days), use a champagne stopper to seal the bottle tightly. This will prevent carbonation from escaping. Then, refrigerate it upright. Cold temperatures slow down bubble loss. The debatable part is whether to put a handle-down teaspoon into the bottle’s mouth. Some champagne drinkers believe that this maintains the quality of the drink for a couple of days. But one chemist believes the spoon idea is a myth, and never letting champagne get warm at all will make it last much further. Even with a stopper and refrigerated, it’s still on borrowed time. Drink it within a few days before it goes flat.

Raspberry Storage from the Store to the Garden

Whether you’re a beginner gardener or a pro, starting a garden that includes raspberries can be a fun way to enjoy even more raspberry drinks. Decide whether you want black or purple raspberries first. While the taste of both differs, the season in which they’re planted will also matter. They will need full sunlight for six to hours each day with well-draining soil (pH of 5.5 to 6.5). Plant the raspberries in rows that are two to three feet apart and six to eight feet between rows.

The best time to plant them is early spring or late fall. Install trellises or stakes to make sure the raspberries stay upright on their canes, and water the fruit plant thoroughly once or twice each week. Mulch with straw or wood chips will help the raspberries retain moisture and fight against weeds. Prune old cane in the late summer, and make sure to pick the berries when they are fully ripe and easy to pluck. Remove all canes (from the ground up) in later winter to have a strong fall crop.

Chocolate Storage for Drinks

With cold raspberries (or at least room temperature) and chilled champagne, you may wonder if the shaved chocolate will taste a little crunchy in the French Kiss Vodka Cocktail. The answer is no. Shaved chocolate works well with a variety of drinks, primarily because the shaved version melts easily. It also enhances hot and cold beverages. It’s your choice whether you want to try a milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate. Some are sweeter while others are bitter, so choose a chocolate version that you would already enjoy eating with a chocolate-covered raspberry, so the two tastes don’t clash. You can refrigerate and use the remaining chocolate in teas, hot cocoa, lattes and milkshakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Vampire’s Kiss Martini?

This drink varies in taste from a French Kiss Cocktail, mainly because of the cranberries. Although it does have Chambord, Champagne and raspberries like the drinks above, it also includes vodka, cranberry juice, red sugar or red corn syrup.

What makes a good French Martini?

Ingredients in this drink also differ from a French Kiss Cocktail, mainly the pineapple juice. While the French Kiss Vodka Cocktail includes vodka, the French Kiss Champagne Cocktail does not. The latter drink is also frothier and chilled in a martini glass.

Why is it called a French Kiss Cocktail? 

The name was inspired by the same place Loire Valley is: Paris, France. Also, it’s a play on the pleasure of this drink being as delightful as French kissing.