Black Velvet cocktail

What is a Black Velvet drink?

The Black Velvet cocktail is a deliciously dark cocktail made from a combination of stout (often Guinness) and sparkling white wine (often Champagne).

The Black Velvet drink goes way back...

A full-bodied stout and dry sparkling wine might sound like an unlikely pair but this has stood the test of time. So, don’t knock until you’ve tried it, it’s fantastic. You would be mistaken to assume the Black Velvet is a strange new faddy “Instagram” cocktail, some goes as far as to say that it is the original beer cocktail. Rumour has it that it was created back in 1861 to mourn the death of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert. The suggestion is that it represents the black or purple armbands worn by mourners. She went on to wear black for the rest of her life, so this drink feels appropriate.

Black Velvet Guinness

Black Velvet is most commonly Guinness and Champagne but as with all good homemade recipes, there’s room for a bit of creativity. You can use Cava or prosecco, Guinness, or any stout for that matter.

What you'll need:

• Stout (Guinness or Murphy's)
• Sparkling wine (Champagne, Cava, Prosecco)
• Flutes or tankards
• Optional: spoon and sugar syrup

There isn’t much to the recipe, just combine equal parts sparkling wine with stout. The glass isn’t too important, although it was traditionally served in a Tankard, flutes add a fancy flair. Firstly, half fill Champagne flutes with the stout, then carefully pour in the wine. If you’re careful with the pour you can create two beautiful layers, as the different densities mean they remain quite separate. Our secret tip is pouring the beer over the back of a spoon to disrupt the flow. This way you will get the layers with a glorious creamy foam head.

What does a Black Velvet taste like?

The Black Velvet cocktail taste like fruit dipped in dark chocolate.  The crispness from the sparkling wine will delicately cut through the robust stout. It is rich, yet delicate with a wonderfully lively, sparkle.

How strong is Black Velvet?

As an example, if you do equal parts of Murphy's Irish Stout and Champagne, the end result will be around 8% ABV. Murphy's Irish Stout is 4% ABV and the average for Champagne is 12% ABV.