Secretary of the Interior

To me, champagne epitomizes an event, transforming an occasion to a celebration. It was Dom Perignon, a blind French Benedictine from the 17th century, whose devotion of perfecting sparkling wine resulted in champagne we can enjoy today.

Unless poured into a flute, an elegant glass or crystal, champagne is just not champagne. If you try serving it in a regular water goblet, the luxurious feel completely disappears. But why limit yourself to this once-a-year celebration? These delicate flutes have more use to them than just a fancy vessel.

So here are 10 more ways we can put the flutes into good use.

1. You can serve any other fruit drinks that you want, such as orange juice or smoothies, perfect for a Ladies Luncheon or Mother’s Day.

2. Serve favorite chocolate mousse with a dollop of whipped cream, garnished with raspberry and mint for a fancy dessert.

3. Your children will be surprised to see their ordinary jello served into these sumptuous glasses, making them feel like adults.

4. Adorable little scoops of colorful sorbet will make for a fun, vibrant finale!

5. Usually served in a boring soup bowl, champagne flutes are the perfect first course for cold soups such as gazpacho, borscht, and vichyssoise.

6. Fruity parfaits or just yogurt and granola look so fantastic in these beautiful champagne flutes. A parfait buffet is a charming way to display all your champagne flutes.

7. Skinny breadsticks and cheese straws fit perfectly for individual portions.

8. For a quick flower arrangement, flutes are a great vase whether for small blooms or bouquets of herbs.

9. At a buffet table, you can fill your flutes with chopsticks or straws. For a kids party, fill the glasses with small candies, such as m&ms, skittles, and jelly beans.

10. To organize your table, put pens, pencils, or paintbrushes into the flutes.