Crème De Cassis Champagne Cocktail (Kir Royal)--Serves 6

Supplies
Crème de Cassis or Syrop de Cassis (the first is alcoholic, the other is not)
One bottle of champagne--one bottle serves 6
Fresh clusters of blackcurrant berries for decoration
6 champagne flutes

1. Drop a splash of Crème de Cassis or Syrop de Cassis in each champagne flute.
2. Fill the rest of the glass with champagne
3. Decorate each flute with a cluster of currant berries


This elegant cocktail is a perfect way to start out any dinner party.

Chilling Champagne Quickly
If you've waited till the last second and realize that you've forgotten to chill the champagne before your guests arrive, here are a couple of tips to help speed up the process:

Supplies
ice
ice bucket (or large mixing bowl if you have no ice bucket)
cold water
bottle of champagne

1. Fill an ice bucket with 2/3 ice and 1/3 cold water.
2. Place the bottle of champagne in the center of the ice cubes.
3. Holding the bottleneck between the palms of your hands, for a few minutes, rub your hands together back and forth as if trying to keep warm on a cold day. The friction of the ice against the outside of the bottle will help chill the champagne faster and more evenly than any other method. Let sit in the bucket for 10 minutes and you will have perfectly chilled champagne!

Choosing Champagne by Sweetness Levels
Top to bottom: driest to sweetest

BRUT: very dry
EXTRA BRUT: extra dry, but sweeter than brut
SEC: medium sweet
DEMI-SEC (dessert wine): sweet
DOUX (dessert wine): very sweet