This luxurious black velvet cocktail features just two ingredients: Guinness beer and champagne. It’s rich and bubbly, and fun to drink, especially on St. Patrick’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday!

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All you need are 2 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this layered cocktail

Guinness stout and champagne… you would think that these two ingredients, both hailing from Europe, don’t see eye to eye. One is for enjoying at the pub, while the other is for sipping delicately.

This Black Velvet Cocktail, however, has changed the game! It’s a stout and champagne cocktail made by layering bubbly over Guinness beer in a champagne flute. This layering technique leaves you with a rich, yet bubbly cocktail with an impressive fizzy-on-top and black-on-the-bottom presentation.

The surprisingly delicious combination can be enjoyed year-round, but it’s very well-suited to St. Patrick’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday celebrations. Drink up!

champagne flutes filled with a black and fizzy cocktail next to bottles of champagne and guinness beer.

womans hands pushing the cork out of a champagne bottle.

Ingredients you need

A black velvet drink isn’t just easy to make, it’s also made with a very short ingredients list! Regardless of there only being two ingredients, there are still several substitutions available for both:

Guinness beer

When the thought of a dark, robust Guinness beer pops into your head, maybe you have visions of Ireland or a trip to the pub. It may sound odd to pair it with bubbly champagne, but trust me, it’s a great pairing!

Champagne

Going for it and splurging on Champagne can be super fun, but something a little budget-friendly is where you're at, no problem! Just grab a bottle of any sparkling wine that isn't too sweet, and look for something labeled "brute" that you like the taste of!

How to layer a cocktail

What really makes a black velvet drink special is the layers. The dark stout base is topped with translucent and golden sparkling wine, then finished with a foamy head on top. How impressive!

This is all thanks to what mixologists call the floating technique. You can master this technique on your own using these tips:

Fill the champagne flutes halfway with beer.
Place a spoon in the glass, rounded side up, hovering just above the stout.
Slowly pour the champagne over the back of the spoon and into the glass.
The champagne should float on top of the stout, creating a layered drink.

womans hands pouring champagne over a stout beer in a champagne flute.

Keep it chilled

This cocktail isn’t shaken or poured over ice, which is why it’s important to keep both your ingredients and glassware chilled ahead of time. Pop the alcohol in the fridge the night before serving, and place the champagne flutes in the freezer. This way, you get to enjoy an ice-cold black velvet the next day.

Recipe

Black Velvet

This luxurious black velvet cocktail features just two ingredients: Guinness beer and champagne. It’s rich and bubbly, and fun to drink, especially on St. Patrick’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday!

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Author: Michelle Weiner

Makes: 6 cocktails

Ingredients

2 12-ounce bottles stout
1 740-milliliter bottle of champagne or sparkling wine

Instructions

Fill six champagne flutes halfway with stout.
Place a spoon into the champagne flute, without touching the stout, with the rounded side facing up.
Slowly pour the champagne onto the back of the spoon and into the champagne flute. The champagne should float on top of the stout creating a layered drink.
Repeat with the remaining champagne.

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2-Ingredient Black Velvet Cocktail