Drop a sugar cube soaked in Angostura into a flute and watch it fizz a steady column of bubbles through the wine. Each sip starts dry and gets a touch sweeter and spicier as the cube slowly dissolves.
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Taste4.2
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Garnish: Orange twist and cherry · Ice: Served up, no ice
Method
Place the sugar cube on a bar spoon and soak it with the Angostura.
Drop the cube into a chilled champagne flute.
Add the cognac.
Top slowly with well chilled champagne.
Express an orange twist over the glass and garnish with a cherry.
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Watch it made
Champagne Cocktail
Taste
Dry and fizzy with spicy bitters and a gradual sweetness from the dissolving sugar. Light to medium strength.
History and origin
The Champagne Cocktail is one of the oldest mixed drinks on record. It already appears in Jerry Thomas's bartender's guide of 1862, made with sugar, bitters, champagne and a piece of lemon peel. The formula is essentially the original definition of a cocktail, spirit, sugar, water and bitters, with sparkling wine doing the work of the spirit and the water.
A splash of cognac became common later, and the IBA version, listed among the unforgettables, includes it. The drink has long been associated with glamour and celebration and turns up in classic films and novels. It remains a simple way to give a glass of champagne more depth without hiding the wine.
Bartender tips
Use a brut champagne or another dry traditional method sparkling wine; sweeter wines make it cloying.
Pour the wine slowly down the side of the glass to avoid overflowing foam.
Skip the cognac for the older, lighter style described by Jerry Thomas, garnished with lemon peel.
Variations
Classic 19th century style
Sugar cube, bitters and champagne only, with a lemon twist, as in early bar guides.
Seelbach
Bourbon, orange liqueur, Angostura and Peychaud's bitters topped with champagne.
Frequently asked questions
What sparkling wine can I use?
Any dry traditional method sparkling wine, such as crémant or cava, works well.
Why does the sugar cube matter?
It sweetens the drink gradually and creates a steady stream of bubbles as it dissolves.
Is the Champagne Cocktail an IBA drink?
Yes, it is on the IBA list among the unforgettables, made with cognac.
The perfect sound
Golden age Hollywood
Glamorous bubbles for a celebration.
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