How best to inspire a festive mood? Simply let the Champagne bubbles fly. The fizz that tickles the nose and spirit is traditional for the wedding toast, synonymous with celebration. Beyond that, Champagne is optional, though no less fun. With this in mind, we have created a procession of sweets made with Champagne (any other fine, Champagne-style sparkling wine will do just as well) to be enjoyed throughout the entire wedding feast, from cocktail hour to coffee service.

Classic Champagne Cocktail
Begin the party with a time-honored favorite: Champagne flavored with a bitters-soaked sugar cube and a dash of Cognac. Bitters are an alcoholic flavoring made with herbs, spices, roots, and citrus peel, popular in traditional cocktails like this one.

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Champagne Gelee with Fresh Currants
Sprigs of brilliant red currants appear magically suspended in a golden bath. This intermezzo (which means "between the works"), served chilled, is made with gelatin and a small measure of sugar, and flavored with Champagne. The fruit is as intensely flavored as it looks, delivering a refreshing, tart-sweet jolt. This cooling palate cleanser offers guests a sweet recess between the appetizer and the main course.

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Champagne Granita with Cassis Syrup

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Peach Rose-Champagne Sorbet
A "sorbet course" before the cake provides an icy, ultralight transition to much richer delights. Our sorbet is made with poached peaches and blush "off dry" (slightly sweet) Champagne. The granita is coarser in texture, made with sugar syrup and Champagne. A dash of cassis syrup added to each serving gives it color and turns it into a frozen version of the classic kir royale cocktail.

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Wedding Cake with Sabayon and Raspberries
Egg yolks, sugar, and champagne are whisked together over gentle heat to create a sabayon, the most basic of custards. Although some of the alcohol in the wine cooks off, the flavor remains in the heady foam. Sabayon is often served alone or as a sauce over fresh berries. Here, it gives a sophisticated lift to a simple wedding cake.

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Chocolate Truffles in Sparkling Sugar
Champagne and Cognac are famously delicious together in this decadent, classic sweet. The truffles are easily made from a dense ganache -- dark chocolate melted in hot heavy cream, with the wine and spirit added for flavor. They are formed by hand when the mixture cools and solidifies. For sparkle reminiscent of Champagne bubbles, we rolled them in glittering sanding sugar. Offer truffles with coffee as an elegant, Champagne-infused finish, or pack them up as parting gifts.

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