Cotton Candy Cocktail

If you’re looking for a fun cocktail idea, it doesn’t get much more fun than this cotton candy cocktail. Fizzy, sparkling champagne brings the class and sweet, airy cotton candy brings that instant hit of nostalgia.

Do you have fond childhood memories of getting cotton candy at a carnival or fair? Remember standing on your tiptoes and peering into the cotton candy machine, watching in awe as a cloud of fluffy, pastel-hued cotton candy magically formed onto a paper cone? 

We’re aiming to capture that same feeling with this cocktail!

Cotton Candy Cocktail

Easy to make. Not only is this cotton candy champagne cocktail fun and whimsical, it’s also super easy to make. You don’t need to be an expert mixologist to make this cocktail for a party—just combine champagne and cotton candy in a glass to infuse the drink with sweet flavor, then add more cotton candy on top for visual effect.

Perfect for multiple occasions. While there’s something inherently summery about cotton candy—maybe because it’s so often enjoyed at summer carnivals?—this is definitely a year-round cocktail perfect for Mother’s Day, bridal showers, baby showers (mom-to-be can have sparkling white grape juice!), and other brunch get-togethers. 

Ingredient Notes

• Rosé champagne: We love the blush color of rosé champagne but if you’re using blue cotton candy, you may want to opt for regular champagne, prosecco, or another sparkling wine to keep your drink from turning purple. Be sure the champagne is well-chilled.
• Cotton candy:  Most candy stores sell pre-made packages of basic cotton candy, and if you’re lucky, you might find one that has a variety of flavors. Etsy is also a great source for unique cotton candy flavors and colors!

Fun fact! In North America, we call it cotton candy, but in Great Britain, they call it candy floss. In Australia and New Zealand, it’s known as fairy floss!

What Type of Glass To Use

The glasses pictured are coupe-style glasses. The cotton candy dissolves quite quickly in a shallow champagne glass like this. If you use a champagne flute, you will be able to fill it halfway with champagne, then poke the cotton candy into the glass without allowing it to touch the champagne. This keeps the cotton candy from dissolving as quickly. The choice is yours!

How to Make A Cotton Candy Cocktail

Fill the glasses with cotton candy. Set out 6 champagne flutes or coupes and place a handful of cotton candy in each one.

Add champagne. Pour champagne into the glasses over the cotton candy. One bottle of champagne will usually fill 6 glasses, but if you have large glasses, you may want to buy a second bottle just in case.

Garnish. Add a generous pinch of cotton candy to the top of each glass. Serve immediately.

Easy Recipe Variations

With a 2-ingredient cocktail, there’s plenty of room for variations. Here are some of our favorite ideas!

• Make it boozier. Add peach schnapps for another layer of flavor—and a tipsier cocktail.
• Make it non-alcoholic. Cotton candy cocktails are fun for kids’ parties, too! Skip the champagne and use sparkling white grape, apple, or pear juice instead.
• Make it pop. Amp up the nostalgia factor even more by sprinkling Pop Rocks candy on top of the cotton candy garnish. (You might also like Pop Rocks hot cocoa bombs!)

Serving Ideas

Lean into the pink. If you’re feeling like pink is your color, serve this cotton candy cocktail with other pink foods. Delicious Kool-Aid pie and millionaire pie are both creamy pink concoctions that are simple to whip up and will satisfy anybody’s sweet tooth. Show-stopping strawberry trifle is perfect for parties. I love this ice cream terrine with roasted strawberries, too. Red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips are dramatically colored (and they are super easy to make!).

Serve the cocktails DIY-style. Let guests make their own cotton candy cocktail. Have a selection of different colored cotton candy available. If you happen to have a cotton candy machine, it would be fun for guests to make their own. Make sure you have a few bottles of chilled champagne on hand.

Appetizer ideas. Serve tasty appetizers along with the cocktails. Whipped feta is so easy and you can make a few variations to serve along with a good selection of crackers. Roasted grape crostini are another great choice. Funfetti dip is festive and sweet, a perfect go-along with this cocktail.

• Add a handful of cotton candy to a glass (see note). You can use any flavor or color you like.

• Pour champagne over the cotton candy, filling the glass.

• Add a generous pinch of cotton candy as a garnish, and serve immediately.

• Champagne: I usually use rosé champagne but any type of champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine will work.
• Yield: One bottle of champagne (750 ml) will fill 6 glasses, however, yield may vary depending on the volume of your glasses.
• Choosing a glass: The cotton candy will dissolve very quickly especially if you use a coupe-style champagne glass (as depicted in the photos). If you chose a champagne flute instead, you will be able to fill it halfway with champagne, then poke the cotton candy into the glass without allowing it to touch the champagne, which will keep it from dissolving as quickly.
• Variation: If you’d like to make this cocktail using less alcohol, add 1 oz. of cranberry juice to each glass before you pour in the champagne.
• Nutrition: The information is roughly calculated on 1 bottle of champagne divided into 6 servings. The cotton candy is not included.

Serving: 1cocktail, Calories: 61kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 0.1g, Sodium: 9mg, Potassium: 110mg, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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