We’ve all seen that part of a movie or TV show that has a super chic party and you know it’s a super chic party because they have a champagne tower for their guests.
A literal one tower Champagne with the cast of Downton Abbey Pour the champagne into the upper glass.
The funny thing about the Champagne Tower feat is that it’s so mysterious and fancy, but you can do it for any party you have – no British butler required!
How to build a champagne tower:
Step one: The first step is to figure out how many levels you want your tower to be. You have 1 glass on top (1 × 1 = 1) and then 4 on the next level below (2 × 2 = 4).
Then 9 on the next level (3 × 3 = 9), 16 on the level below (4 × 4 = 16) and then 25 on the level below (5 × 5 = 25).
Add more steps that are a number larger (multiplied by itself) until you have the final number of glasses you need, or the step height you envisioned.
Step two: Once you know how many steps you want and how many glasses you need, you will likely want to rent real glasses at that height. Or, you can buy these too to use if you don’t want to rent real ones.
Just make sure you get “coupe” style champagne glasses, the shorter, wider glasses, and not the “flutes” which are tall thin glasses and cannot be stacked.
I actually made a successful tower out of both rented glass and plastic jars, but I found that the rented jars we had were actually 3-4 different heights that were slightly different.
This isn’t a big deal at all if you are using them on tables for a dinner party, but we had to search the glasses carefully to try to find glasses of similar height for each floor and that was super annoying.
It looks like the rental company mixed glasses from a few different brands, so if you are renting real glasses, you might be asking if all coupes from the same brand are exactly the same and you won’t have this problem.
With the plastic glasses you just have to be very careful when you attach the cup part of the glass to the stem and make sure that you attach it as flat as possible. Otherwise, you have a similar problem where all the glasses are crooked and you don’t have a very stable tower.
Step three: To build your tower, start by placing your lower tier on a sturdy table (not one that will wobble or easily bump!) In a square, with each glass touching all of the glasses that surround it.
Then start your next layer by placing the base of your second tier glasses right in the middle where 4 of your bottom glasses come together. You should be able to look down at the bottom of your second level glass and see a diamond shape (created by the 4 bottom mug edges) in the center of the bottom.
Step four: Build your smaller layer on top of the larger layer underneath and try to see that diamond shape in the base of each jar. Try to put the second layer as close together as possible, with the sides touching if you can.
Once you’re done with your second layer, keep building until you only have one jar on top!
How to pour the champagne:
You can either leave all the glasses empty and pour the champagne into the top glass so that it eventually overflows and runs down the tower (fill the glasses on the descent) or you can build the tower with most of the glasses already filled.
Leave the top empty so you can still fill the top glass and see it overflow down the steps, but it all goes much faster.
If you’ve ever seen a large tower filled from above, starting with empty glasses, it can take a long time to fill all of them in the third or fourth bottle.
How much champagne do you need?
Add up how many glasses you have multiplied by the capacity of the glasses and that will tell you how many ounces of champagne you need.
Be sure to check the ounces on the bottles that you want to have to make sure you have enough.
Now that you have your tower and enough champagne, pick the moment when you want to debut your tower skills. Maybe after a short welcome speech or a toast in honor of the party? And then fill the tower from above!
Maybe you need a chair to stand on while pouring if you’re a shortie like me, or just ask your 6’3 “friend to do the honors …
It’s always a party highlight when there is a champagne tower. So if you’re looking for some extra fun at your next event, this might be the place! xo. Laura
Speaking of champagne, check out these recipes!
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