How to Build a Champagne Tower

Step 1: Find a table Find a sturdy, steady table on which you can build your fountain.
Step 2: Crunch the numbers Figure out how many glasses you’ll need in order to both accommodate your guests and ensure that your tower doesn’t tumble. Each square layer must become proportionately smaller than the last, so if your base is five rows of five glasses, the next layer must be four by four, and so on.
TIP: A standard-size Champagne bottle will provide about five glasses of bubbly.
Step 3: Get proper glasses Get coupe Champagne glasses, which are the old-fashioned round ones.
TIP: Use plastic Champagne glasses if you’re nervous about your tower collapsing.
Step 4: Begin construction Evenly align each glass in the bottom layer so that they touch each other, creating a diamond-shaped space between glasses.
Step 5: Build the stories Place the next layer of glasses so that the glass stems are centered over the diamond-shaped spaces.
Step 6: Repeat Repeat until just one glass stands on the top.
Step 7: Fill the fountain Pour Champagne into the top glass, and continue pouring until the Champagne has trickled down to fill every glass.
Step 8: Time to toast! Gather your guests, hand everyone a glass—starting with the one on top and moving on down—and offer a toast. Cheers!
FACT: The grapes used for Champagne must be hand-picked because a bruised one can affect the color.

Lessons in this Guide