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Best Prosecco Cocktails — 8 Recipes to Make at Home

Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine made from Glera grapes in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions. It's lighter and less yeasty than Champagne, with fresh apple, pear and peach notes that make it one of the most versatile cocktail bases.

For cocktails, always use Brut (dry) Prosecco — the Extra Dry designation is paradoxically slightly sweeter and less ideal for mixing. Price matters less here than in still wine; a £8–£12 Brut Prosecco performs as well as a £20 bottle once mixed.

Here are eight Prosecco cocktails from the iconic to the underrated.

1

Aperol Spritz

Easy

Glass: Large wine glass

Ingredients

  • 90ml Prosecco
  • 60ml Aperol
  • 30ml soda water
  • ice
  • orange slice to garnish

Method

  1. 1.Fill a large wine glass with ice.
  2. 2.Pour in the Prosecco first — this preserves the bubbles.
  3. 3.Add the Aperol.
  4. 4.Top with a small splash of soda water.
  5. 5.Garnish with a fresh orange slice.

Tip: The 3-2-1 rule: three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda. This is Italy's best-selling cocktail. Always Brut Prosecco. The order of addition matters — Prosecco first prevents the Aperol from killing the bubbles prematurely.

2

Bellini

Easy

Glass: Champagne flute

Ingredients

  • 100ml Prosecco
  • 50ml white peach purée or nectar
  • ice (optional)

Method

  1. 1.Add the peach purée to the bottom of a chilled flute.
  2. 2.Slowly pour the Prosecco on top.
  3. 3.Stir very gently once.
  4. 4.Serve without ice to keep the bubbles.

Tip: The original Harry's Bar recipe from Venice uses fresh white peach purée in season (August–September). Out of season, a good quality peach nectar (Looza or Boiron) works well. Yellow peaches produce a less refined result. Never shake — the carbonation will be ruined.

3

Kir Royale

Easy

Glass: Champagne flute

Ingredients

  • 120ml Prosecco
  • 15ml crème de cassis
  • ice (optional)

Method

  1. 1.Pour the Prosecco into a chilled flute.
  2. 2.Drizzle the crème de cassis slowly down the side of the glass.
  3. 3.The cassis will bloom upward through the Prosecco — do not stir.

Tip: The Kir Royale uses Champagne traditionally; Prosecco makes it more approachable and affordable. Add the cassis last — the bloom effect is beautiful. Liqueur de violette instead of cassis makes a Kir Royale Violette. Adjust the cassis quantity to taste; 15ml is a starting point.

4

French 75

Easy

Glass: Champagne flute or coupe

Ingredients

  • 30ml gin (or cognac for the original)
  • 15ml fresh lemon juice
  • 10ml simple syrup
  • 90ml Prosecco
  • ice
  • lemon twist to garnish

Method

  1. 1.Add gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
  2. 2.Shake for 10 seconds.
  3. 3.Strain into a chilled flute.
  4. 4.Top with Prosecco — pour slowly.
  5. 5.Garnish with a lemon twist.

Tip: The cognac version (the original from Paris in 1915) is rounder and more elegant; gin makes it brighter and more botanical. Both are delicious. A good aperitif or celebration drink — the base can be made in advance and Prosecco added per glass.

5

Hugo Spritz

Easy

Glass: Wine glass

Ingredients

  • 100ml Prosecco
  • 30ml elderflower cordial (or St-Germain)
  • 30ml soda water
  • 5 mint leaves
  • ice
  • lime slice and mint sprig to garnish

Method

  1. 1.Fill a wine glass with ice.
  2. 2.Add the elderflower cordial.
  3. 3.Pour in the Prosecco.
  4. 4.Add the mint leaves and top with soda water.
  5. 5.Stir very gently.
  6. 6.Garnish with a lime slice and mint sprig.

Tip: The Hugo is Austria's answer to the Aperol Spritz — floral, light and refreshing. It's taken off in Germany and the UK. St-Germain elderflower liqueur makes a more complex version; cordial (Belvoir or Bottle Green) is more economical. Slap the mint before adding to release the oils.

6

Limoncello Spritz

Easy

Glass: Wine glass or highball

Ingredients

  • 90ml Prosecco
  • 40ml limoncello
  • 30ml soda water
  • ice
  • lemon slice and basil leaf to garnish

Method

  1. 1.Fill a wine glass with ice.
  2. 2.Pour in the Prosecco.
  3. 3.Add limoncello.
  4. 4.Top with soda water and stir very gently.
  5. 5.Garnish with a lemon slice and a basil leaf.

Tip: Brighter and more citrus-forward than an Aperol Spritz. Use a good Italian limoncello — Pallini or Villa Massa are both well-made. The basil garnish adds a herbal note that complements the lemon. This is also excellent with a splash of fresh lemon juice.

7

Rossini

Easy

Glass: Champagne flute

Ingredients

  • 100ml Prosecco
  • 50ml fresh strawberry purée

Method

  1. 1.Blend fresh strawberries with a small amount of lemon juice until smooth.
  2. 2.Strain to remove seeds.
  3. 3.Add the purée to the bottom of a chilled flute.
  4. 4.Pour Prosecco gently on top.
  5. 5.Do not stir — let the natural mixing happen.

Tip: A Bellini made with strawberry instead of peach. Use in-season British strawberries (June–August) for the best flavour. Add a tiny squeeze of lemon to prevent the strawberry from oxidising and keep it vibrant red. Works beautifully with frozen strawberry if fresh aren't available.

8

Venetian Sunset

Easy

Glass: Wine glass

Ingredients

  • 60ml Prosecco
  • 50ml Aperol
  • 100ml blood orange juice
  • ice
  • orange slice to garnish

Method

  1. 1.Fill a wine glass with ice.
  2. 2.Pour in the blood orange juice first.
  3. 3.Add the Aperol.
  4. 4.Top gently with Prosecco.
  5. 5.Do not stir — the layered gradient is the effect.
  6. 6.Garnish with an orange slice.

Tip: Blood orange juice is seasonal (November–April in the UK) but when available makes this drink strikingly beautiful. Out of season, use freshly squeezed regular orange juice. Fresh juice always; carton juice is too sweet and too flat.

Buying Prosecco in the UK

For Spritzes and Bellinis, any Brut Prosecco in the £8–£15 range works perfectly — Mionetto, Riondo and Zardetto are reliable. Don't waste premium Prosecco in cocktails where the flavour difference is minimal. For something slightly more special, a Prosecco Superiore DOCG (from the hillside Conegliano-Valdobbiadene zone) has more complexity and works in drinks where Prosecco is the primary ingredient, like a Bellini. Keep Prosecco cold in the fridge and use within 2–3 days of opening.

UK shop picks

Buy Prosecco for these cocktails

Bottles we actually recommend for the recipes above — shipped from UK retailers. Affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Shop all Prosecco at Master of Malt →

Home bar essentials

You do not need a full pub setup — four tools cover most of the cocktails on this page. Good ice and fresh citrus matter as much as the bottles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Brut, Extra Dry and Dry Prosecco?

"Brut" means the least sweet (under 12g sugar per litre). Paradoxically, "Extra Dry" is slightly sweeter (12–17g per litre) and "Dry" is sweeter still (17–32g per litre). For cocktails, Brut is almost always the right choice — the other styles are designed for drinking without food pairings and add unwanted sweetness to mixed drinks.

Can I use Cava or Champagne instead of Prosecco in cocktails?

Yes. Cava (Spanish sparkling) is a direct substitute and often better value. Champagne works too but the yeasty complexity can be lost in mixed drinks; it's generally a waste unless the recipe specifically calls for it. Crémant (French sparkling wine made outside Champagne) is an excellent affordable alternative with more character than basic Prosecco.

How do I keep Prosecco fizzy after opening?

A proper champagne stopper (the clamp-style ones with wings) keeps Prosecco acceptably fizzy for 24–48 hours in the fridge. The commonly repeated trick of leaving a spoon in the bottle does not work — it's a myth. For cocktail purposes, keep opened Prosecco very cold and use within a day.

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