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Does such a thing exist?

That was the most common reaction I got when I asked some professional chefs what to do with leftover champagne.

Indeed, as a serious lover of bubbly wines, it's hard to picture having a surplus of the stuff on hand.

When I see an open bottle of champagne, I'm inclined to drink a glass. If there's still more in the bottle, I drink another glass. Or I top off somebody else's glass. Pretty soon everybody is looking pretty happy, and hey — there's no leftover champagne to deal with.

Still, I think a lot of people face this scenario on New Year's Eve: Several bottles of sparkling wine are cracked open, and flutes are filled for a midnight toast. After much carousing, most of the guests go home. And there on the table lies an extra bottle that was opened and never touched — or perhaps only a splash was removed before the wine was abandoned.

Sparkling wines are particularly special because of their effervescence; this quality means that it's nearly impossible to retain their condition for more than a few hours after opening. Those bubbles are going to pop and disappear whether it's on your tongue or in the bottle overnight. As with soda, champagne is more likely to remain bubbly if kept cold and still (no shaking the bottle before or after opening, unless you've just won a sporting contest).

One of my preferred methods of using leftover opened champagne is to keep it in the refrigerator overnight, and then mix it with juice to make a mimosa or bellini the next morning. On New Year's Day, this plays into the tradition of brunch gatherings, and it gives your guests a hair of the dog to boot. You can mix it up by varying the juices you add to the wine — I've added sour cherry juice before, or you could use pomegranate juice to make a variation on the classic kir royale cocktail.

Another favorite use for leftover champagne: a rich, eggy hollandaise-type sauce with champagne as an acid background. These sorts of sauces are perfect for fish or for a sendoff on eggs Benedict. (Try the recipe for a champagne mousseline sauce.) Hot sauces like a mousseline (which is a variation on hollandaise sauce) or a beurre blanc (white butter sauce) can capture the flavor of a champagne, but they will result in a loss of effervescence.

For more ideas on how to use leftover champagne, I called Bryan Voltaggio, chef at Volt in downtown Frederick , to hear his take on the matter.

Here are some of his suggestions:

n Put the champagne in an ice-cream maker as soon as you realize you have any left over. The resulting sorbet retains some of the bubbles. Serve it atop raw oysters for brunch.

n Pour the champagne into a whipped-cream charger. Fill the charger with grapes or raspberries. Charge with a nitrous oxide capsule and set in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. Expel the gas slowly. Open and remove the fruit. The result is sparkling grapes or raspberries flavored with the wine; they make an excellent addition to a fruit or cheese plate.

n Make a granite by adding a simple sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water, cooked until the sugar dissolves) to the champagne. Pour into a baking pan and set in the freezer. Every 20 minutes, stir and break up the mixture with a fork. When completely frozen, serve the glittering shards over sliced fruit.

n Try a champagne version of a savory cocktail. Voltaggio suggested cucumber juice, horseradish, pepper and champagne as one idea. The champagne can also substitute for or augment the vodka in a more traditional Bloody Mary.

However you choose to use your spare bubbly, be sure it helps you have a great new year!