16 Best Prosecco Cocktails Ranked From Worst To Best

If the difference between prosecco and champagne seems mysterious, it doesn't need to be. Prosecco is produced in the Prosecco region in southern Italy, while authentic Champagne is from the Champagne region of northern France. If your bottle is from a different country, is labeled "California champagne," or doesn't carry the Prosecco DOC or DOCG label, it's simply sparkling wine.

The types of grapes used in each are also different. Prosecco is made with white Glera grapes, although rosé prosecco uses Pinot Noir grapes. Champagne uses Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir grapes. Both prosecco and champagne have sparkly bubbles perfect for celebratory meals, toasts, and holidays, yet prosecco is far less pricey. The reason? Champagne needs to be aged at least a year to develop its bubbles properly; prosecco gets bubbly as it ferments in a stainless steel tank. That means prosecco makes it to your table faster than champagne, and since prosecco doesn't improve with age, its price point is generally more accessible.

If you love champagne cocktails, you'll be thrilled to know that prosecco cocktails are just as festive. Our rankings are based on taste, mixability, and versatility. Read on to make your next bubbly cocktail the toast of the town — without breaking the bank.

Mimosas, the standard brunch cocktail made with equal parts champagne and orange juice, are festive but dated. Prosecco is an excellent substitute for champagne, providing bubbles and sparkle at a fraction of the price, and it makes a tastier mimosa to boot. Experimenting with juices (try guava or passionfruit), using fruit purée (such as mango or watermelon), adding a shot of grenadine for sweetness and color, or garnishing with berries can turn this drink from humdrum to fresh.

Whichever region of the country you're in, the hottest brunch spots love a good mimosa. Poogan's Porch in Charleston favors classic orange juice mimosas, while Pullman Bar & Diner in Iowa City offers them made with a rainbow of juices, including orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and blood orange. Sunday in Brooklyn embraces prosecco mimosas, so if you need convincing to swap out the champagne, you're in great company.

Although champagne is considered a luxury, and some prize it for that reason, many people don't like it, making prosecco mimosas a better choice for the tastebuds and the wallet. When making mimosas, personal taste dictates the balance of sweetness, which is another reason we love using prosecco instead of champagne. Since our sense of taste depends on scent, the fruity-floral aroma of prosecco makes it taste sweeter, and many people find it blends better with the acidity of orange juice. Glera grapes are used in prosecco and lend a fruitiness to prosecco that's missing in champagne.

Margaritas are one of the most popular cocktails in the country, combining sour, sweet, and salty in a delicious concoction. The classic recipe has tequila, lime juice, triple sec, and syrup, but it comes in many flavors. In hot weather, or simply because it's fun to drink slushy drinks, blending the ingredients with ice makes frozen margaritas — though it does mean drinking it down before it turns into a puddle. Prosecco margaritas are simple to make and so refreshing with a meal.

Most folks who don't like margaritas aren't tequila fans, and we get it; tequila has caused some trouble in its day. Good news -– prosecco margaritas lighten things up with sparkly bubbles, which are great frozen or fresh. Make sure to make a well-balanced drink; sweet and sour notes should harmonize with the salted rim of the glass in counterpoint. Measure the ingredients carefully, pour the cocktail, and top with enough prosecco for a bubbly finish.

Experiment with prosecco margaritas in all the flavors you love: mango, strawberry, raspberry, and pineapple are all tempting options. Use the fruit as a muddle and garnish for a fresh margarita, or make slushy margaritas extra bodacious with frozen fruit instead of ice. You can change up the liqueur to complement your choice of fruit, such as Chambord, Midori, Tequila Rose strawberry cream (via Drinks Geek), or stick with triple sec or Cointreau. This bright and bubbly margarita will charm you no matter which flavor you try.

If mimosas seem stodgy and dull, sipping a Bellini will restore your faith in brunch cocktails. The best Bellinis use fresh peaches puréed at the height of juicy sweetness, but honestly, you can mix peach nectar with prosecco, and you'll still have a sweet, refreshing drink reminiscent of summer fruit heavy on the tree. Bellinis score more points than mimosas for the freshness of fruit purée and delicate sweetness, but on the other hand, making Bellinis with fresh peaches is a process that forces you to wash your blender.

Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry's Bar in Venice, created the first Bellini in 1934. When Cipriani realized that fresh peaches blended divinely with prosecco, he decided to name the drink as a tribute to the fifteenth-century Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini, who used a similar color in his art (via Tasting Table). This inspired cocktail is indeed a work of art in its own right.

According to Tasting Table, white peaches make the best Bellinis with their luscious sweetness, while adding lemon and honey to the purée boosts its peachy flavor. Straining the purée is optional, but always remember to dilute the heavy peach mixture with a bit of prosecco, stir it up, then top off the glass with the rest of the sparkling wine. This will result in a smooth Bellini that will make you feel like you're sipping summer in Italy. It is one of our favorite ways to enjoy prosecco.

With a name like the Pornstar martini, this is one drink most of us want to try. Douglas Ankrah, a pioneer of London's bar scene who co-founded LAB Bar and Townhouse a few years later, initially dubbed it the Maverick after a gentlemen's club in Cape Town but soon realized a splashier name grabs attention. Whether its success came from the name or the ingredients, the Pornstar fits Ankrah's vision of a sexy, sophisticated cocktail – the rest is history.

Provocative name aside, this drink combines vanilla vodka, fresh passionfruit, lime juice, a passionfruit liqueur known as passoã, sugar (or vanilla syrup), and prosecco. The Pornstar's original recipe serves the prosecco as a sidecar to cleanse the palate. Some prefer the prosecco in the drink; we say it's delicious either way. It's worth noting that when making them at home, making your Pornstar sparkly means fewer dishes, but you do you.

The Pornstar's lovely peachy color and elegant presentation make this cocktail a welcome addition to any bar repertoire, but it requires many specialty ingredients and can be fussy. Redditors note that the lime cuts the sweetness and that presoaking the passionfruit in the vodka delivers irresistible flavor. Combine everything except the prosecco in a shaker with ice, shake well, then strain it into martini glasses. Add the prosecco to the glass, or serve alongside. The passionfruit floats in the drink for a delicious, messy snack, but if you prefer to avoid chaos, use passionfruit purée instead.

Sangria is a drink meant for relaxation. Whether you're ordering pitchers at a Mexican restaurant, sipping it in the sunshine with family, or mixing it up for game night, sangria's mix of wine, liquor, juice, and luscious pieces of fruit leads to hours of talk and laughter. No matter what kind of sangria you make, it's sure to be a hit with guests. Sangria is customizable to taste and season; a summertime sangria might use white wine and peaches, while sangria at the holidays could feature red wine with oranges and cranberries.

Considering many sangria recipes call for sparkling water, prosecco is an excellent choice when you whip up a batch of this festive cocktail. As with cooking, always choose the wine you'd happily drink on its own. Another reason to use prosecco in sangria is that its sweetness blends so well with fruit. Dry prosecco is sweeter than brut, so your taste and choice of liquor, juice, and fruit can dictate which prosecco to use for sangria.

One note of caution: sangria is best when the fruit is soaked to let the flavors mingle and develop a delicious fragrance, but prosecco poured too soon will go flat. Depending on your recipe, you can soak the fruit in juice and other liquor (bourbon, tequila, or vodka are good options), then add the prosecco before serving to top a sparkly sangria perfect for any occasion.

Pink cocktails are always Insta-worthy, and the pink gin fizz is no exception. This delicious drink combines pink gin with rosé prosecco, lemonade, and strawberries, which harmonize in a blushingly beautiful shade that's perfect for parties, Valentine's Day, or just because pink is perfect. Shaking the gin and lemonade with ice ensures your drink is well-mixed and frosty, and pouring the prosecco before serving keeps it sparkling. The strawberries are optional but make a pretty (and tasty) presentation.

Any prosecco will work in a pink gin fizz, but we love the color and flavor of rosé prosecco because you can never have enough pink in your drink. Prosecco is made with Glera grapes native to the Prosecco region, but rosé prosecco adds Pinot Noir and Pinot Nero grapes, which don't change the flavor much but contribute to the hue.

Pink gin is sweeter than traditional gin and has two meanings. Pink gin was originally a seasickness cure in the 19th century. Angostura bitters, made from herbs and gentian flowers, turned gin pink when sailors mixed the two so they could self-medicate (via Gin Observer). Today, we buy pink gin ready-made, but the flavor depends on the botanical used to turn it pink. Berries, rhubarb, currants, or roses are standard infusions for pink gin, according to Decanter; Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons uses its signature rosé wine to get the characteristic shade (via Tasting Table).

Dick Bradsell was a prominent British bartender and creator of modern classics like the bramble, the espresso martini, and the Russian spring, named for its main ingredients: Russian for vodka and spring for fizzy bubbles. Bradsell crafted this cocktail for friends during a dinner party — which turned into a rager, with guests falling down flights of stairs. We love this drink, though maybe stop after one: Remember, this drunk dinner party happened in the 1980s, before social media.

This cocktail can vary based on personal preferences and available ingredients. For a Russian spring, blend vodka, crème de cassis, lemon juice, sugar, raspberries, and prosecco. Of course, the first step is the choice of prosecco; as always, choosing one you like on its own is best. The raspberries are delectably muddled with sugar before you add the vodka, lemon, and cassis to the shaker, but you can also opt for raspberry syrup. One Reddit user notes the mixture is usually strained over ice and garnished with a few raspberries, but if you prefer, leave the muddled raspberries in and then add prosecco to complete this sparkly red cocktail.

We love the fruitiness of this drink. Crème de cassis is a French blackcurrant liqueur traditionally used in a Russian spring, but feel free to use framboise instead, which is made from raspberries and is also a sexy red. And hey – if you're feeling a bit Bradsell, maybe try both liqueurs. You might end up making history.

The classic gin fizz is a simple cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, sugar, and soda. The froth on top results from shaking the gin, lemon, and sugar with an egg white before shaking it a second time with ice added. Then it's strained, with soda added last. If you love the refreshing citrusy flavor but feel raw eggs cross the line, aquafaba (the thick liquid in a can of chickpeas) mimics the creamy foam without the threat of salmonella. 

For a fantastic variation on the gin fizz, replace the soda water with prosecco, add elderflower liqueur and lemon juice, and garnish with mint and sliced lemons and limes. St-Germain is the best-known elderflower liqueur brand, but Tasting Table notes that elderflower liqueurs offered by Chase and The Bitter Truth are not as sweet, so try those depending on preference. While elderflower liqueur has become trendy, this fizz is a drink that will surprise people that haven't had it before, and we declare it a must-try. The truly crafty can even make their own elderflower liqueur at home.

Although a gin fizz is delicious, the elderflower gin fizz elevates the flavor to a cult classic. It's light but daring, sweet but crisp, and prosecco transforms the elderflower flavor. While prosecco and St-Germain have sweet notes, this isn't an overwhelmingly sugary drink. Instead, the varying floral, citrus, and herbal notes will combine with the prosecco bubbles to make a fresh, cheery addition to any gathering.

The Hugo is a light, zesty cocktail that goes hand in hand with summer. Its bright lime notes pair beautifully with delicate elderflower, and prosecco gives it a sparkle that refreshes. Muddled mint adds dimension, and since the recipe includes seltzer and prosecco, this cocktail is ideal if you're watching calories or need to drive. Although its flavor profile practically demands a garden party or a beach picnic, we think the Hugo is lovely any time of year.

Crafted at a bar in Tyrol, Italy in 2005, the Hugo cocktail is famous all over the world. A Reddit user noted it is their favorite prosecco cocktail, and they discovered it while traveling in Germany. Ever since Robert J. Cooper created St-Germain, elderflower has been the rage among mixologists. Pale green, filled with bubbles, and garnished with lime and mint, one look at this cocktail is a charming clue about the flavor profile, and we are here for it.

If you're feeling crafty and like impressing your friends with your mad mixology skills, try making elderflower cordial at home. Making the Hugo is simple: muddle mint leaves to release their oils, then add crushed ice, a shot of elderflower cordial, and some bubbly water, and fill the rest of the glass with prosecco. Stir lightly and garnish with lime slices. Pro tip: we love using Waterloo lime sparkling water in the Hugo for an extra dash of citrus.

If you love cherries, the Marasca fizz is a game-changer. A delectable fusion of prosecco, cherry liqueur, sugar, bitters, and cherry syrup poured from the garnish jar; this drink is a festive deep red, and it's sweet-tart and bubbly (via Tasting Table). While we all adored maraschino cherries in their neon glory as kids, let's leave those on the shelf. Since they contain tons of sugar and are dyed a color never seen on a cherry tree, they aren't the best choice for your drink.

The Marasca fizz is named for the Marasca cherry, a sour cherry grown in Croatia and favored in Italy. In 1821, the Luxardo distillery used Marasca cherries to make Maraschino liqueur and Sangue Morlacco. In the early 20th century, it developed a variety known as the Marasca Luxardo that eventually became the gold standard of preserved cherries. Juicy and dark red, Luxardo cherries are extravagant and often cause sticker shock (they cost around $20 per pound), but they are an elegant addition to this cocktail.

For serving, dipping the rim of the glasses in cherry syrup and then in sugar is optional but a lovely touch. Add bitters to two brown sugar cubes, add cherry liqueur, drop a few of those precious Luxardo cherries into the glass, throw in some maraschino cherry syrup, then top with prosecco. The Marasca fizz is a perfect cocktail for holiday celebrations, Valentine's Day, or any time you feel like splurging.

Aperol is an Italian aperitif that is sweet and bitter all at once. The prominent flavor is orange, though its flavor profile includes rhubarb, gentian flowers, and cinchona. Its enchanting deep rosy orange shade makes any cocktail pop, especially in a spritz combined with bubbly prosecco. Aperol was created in Italy and debuted at the Padua World Fair in 1919, but it took decades for the spritz to catch on. Today, it enjoys worldwide popularity, and the recipe for the Aperol spritz is on the back of every bottle of Aperol.

One reason for this cocktail's popularity is its light, refreshing taste. Aperitifs are, by definition, enjoyed before a meal; their bitter flavors signal to the body that digestion will soon start, and the fact that their alcohol content is low means they're ideal for sipping with appetizers (via Tasting Table). While oranges are the most common garnish, you can opt for green olives. The Aperol spritz is simple: equal parts Aperol and prosecco, topped with soda water for extra fizz.

It's fun to experiment with new variations of spritzes: Pears muddled at the bottom of the glass are a fresh take from Brooklyn bartender Sofia Present. Muddling other fruits that pair well with orange — like berries, limes, or cantaloupe — will take your spritz to next-level deliciousness. Alternatively, try a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. Whether you try the classic version or add flavors, an Aperol spritz will surely be a hit.

The holiday season is the perfect time to drink sparkly punch, but any large gathering provides an excuse for festive drinks, regardless of the season. Punch has a long history; the first recorded punch recipe is from 1638 (via Difford's Guide), and one reason it persists is that it's customizable to every taste and occasion. Punch recipes combine liquor with juice, fruit, and spices in a balance that keeps people filling their cups; even Hawaiian Punch started as a cocktail mixer before becoming a childhood favorite.

Prosecco is ideal for adding bubbles without all the sugar other sparkly punch ingredients provide (we're looking at you, ginger ale). Punch for holiday celebrations might include spiced rum and oranges garnished with ruby red frozen cranberries to chill the drink. Those who love a more potent punch could try prosecco with pomegranate juice, gin, and St-Germain garnished with orange slices and pomegranate seeds.

Remember parties as a kid where you drank ginger ale punch with sherbet floating on top? Scoops of frozen fruity goodness work beautifully in prosecco punch, or adventurous partygoers might love the recipe one Redditor shared for homemade mango sorbet with serrano peppers, which they noted took prosecco punch to a new level. Fans of ginger should try grating fresh ginger root to soak in vodka before adding it to a punch with prosecco, apple cider, and lemon juice. Prosecco punch ranks for being festive and customizable and for its ability to serve a crowd.

Mojitos refresh the most sweltering day with a blend of lime, rum, mint, and soda, which is not surprising, given that this cocktail is Cuba's signature drink. Although there are disagreements about its origins, it's clear that the mojito has been around for centuries, and famous fans like Ernest Hemingway, Brigitte Bardot, and Errol Flynn have increased its popularity worldwide. Because classic mojito recipes sparkle from seltzer, prosecco mojitos are a no-brainer.

The natural progression for a prosecco mojito is to replace the soda with prosecco, always using a prosecco you love to drink (don't just buy the cheapest bottle, in other words). Mojito fans know that jazzed-up mojitos are also delightful; adding infused syrups or muddling fruit like berries, mango, and pineapple will thrill the palate. Rosé mojitos lose the rum but keep the flavor profile; replace regular rosé with sparkling rosé, and you're in business.

Tasting Table offers a phenomenal fall-inspired mojito using spiced rum, apple cider, and pie spices, along with lime and mint, which we can easily imagine transforming into a sparkling autumn prosecco mojito. A Vietnamese mojito combines the classic rum, lime, and soda with ginger and lemongrass; make ours with prosecco, please. Use chili instead of ginger for a spicy twist, or play around with whatever flavors you love. We guarantee prosecco mojitos will be a crowd-pleaser; they come in high on our list for versatility, customizable to any flavor preference.

Raspberry limoncello prosecco fits the bill for a fruity cocktail that tastes like summer in a glass. Limoncello gets its gorgeous color and lemony sweetness from Sorrento and Amalfi lemons grown along the coast of southern Italy. Like any liqueur, it's often sipped after dinner or used to flavor cocktails, desserts, or candies. Limoncello adds luscious flavor to many drinks, like Amalfi martinis or limoncello lemon drops, but our favorite addition is prosecco.

Raspberry lemon prosecco is simple to make. We love to serve it in an elegant glass pitcher to show off the bubbles and the raspberries; no plastic jugs, please. Pour one bottle of chilled prosecco into the pitcher and stir in about a cup of limoncello (if you like it extra lemony, we won't judge you if you use more). Then add raspberries and garnish each glass with mint leaves. While fresh raspberries would be delectable here, frozen raspberries do double duty by chilling the drink, so use whichever you have on hand.

No limoncello in your liquor cabinet? Aspiring chefs take note: Homemade limoncello is fun and easy to make. The hardest part is peeling the lemons to leave the white pith behind. You'll need decent vodka, lemon zest, sugar, and water. Add the zesty peels and a cup of simple syrup to the vodka and let it infuse for a week. In the meantime, there are plenty of recipes for the leftover fruit to keep you busy.

If combining dessert and cocktails sounds good to you – and let's be honest, who doesn't love a cocktail that doubles as a sweet treat? – then a prosecco float is right up your alley. Americans have enjoyed ice cream floats since 1876. Switching out soda for prosecco makes a sophisticated refresher after any meal, especially when temperatures soar.

The classic prosecco float is a Sgroppino, an Italian indulgence made with prosecco, vodka, and lemon sorbet. Prosecco varies in sweetness; dry and extra dry prosecco are considered dessert wines, while brut is excellent to drink with a meal. Try a rosé prosecco paired with strawberry or raspberry sorbet for a sweet berry dessert that would be heavenly after a spicy meal.

Mango, peach, orange, and pineapple sorbet would add interest to a prosecco float, and you could get creative by adding fruit nectar, liqueurs, and garnishes to take them to the next level. Grand Marnier, Cointreau, and Chambord are liquor cabinet staples, but you could go all out and try Midori, a bright green melon-flavored liqueur, with watermelon or honeydew sorbet. Whichever flavors you use, prosecco floats make you feel like a kid again.

Watermelon and mint are a match made in heaven, with the sweet fruitiness of the melon harmonizing with the cool, spicy flavor of fresh mint. With a watermelon mint prosecco spritz in hand, any day can feel like vacationing at a beach resort. Like other prosecco cocktails on our list, the bubbles elevate the flavors and make the drink effortlessly elegant.

This is a relatively healthy cocktail since watermelon is loaded with lycopene, fiber, and amino acids and won't even make your blood sugar spike (via WebMD). The simplest way to make it, shared by one Redditor, is to blend the watermelon with mint leaves before adding it to prosecco. If you'd like a more complex flavor with a paler pink color that's less like a smoothie, you can muddle the mint with sugar or maple syrup, as they prefer in the Hamptons, then strain the mixture and add lime juice. Chill the watermelon juice well, then fill a glass halfway with watermelon juice and the other half with prosecco.

A huge plus to this cocktail is that it can be made in huge batches and served to kids or those who aren't drinking simply by skipping the prosecco. Go ahead and blend up as much watermelon as you like; leftovers make delicious popsicles or granita so that you can enjoy cocktails and a sweet treat later. For all of these reasons, the watermelon mint prosecco spritz claims the top spot in our rankings.