Champagne Cocktail
A bitters-soaked sugar cube in a flute of cold sparkling wine. A slowly changing, gently spiced old celebration drink.
- MethodBuilt
- GlassChampagne flute
- IceNone (served up)
- Strengthabout 12.6% ABV
- BaseWine & aperitivo
- Tastebitter, refreshing, sweet
Recipe
| 1 cube | Sugar cube (or 1 tsp sugar) |
| 3 dashes | Aromatic bitters (Angostura-style) |
| 15 ml ½ oz | Cognac (VSOP) (optional) |
| Top up: 120 ml 4 oz | Dry sparkling wine (champagne-method or similar) |
Garnish. A thin strip of lemon peel twisted over the glass and dropped in.
Method
- Put the sugar cube on a napkin or spoon and soak it with the bitters.
- Drop the cube into a chilled flute and add the cognac, if using.
- Top slowly with cold sparkling wine.
- Twist the lemon peel over the glass and drop it in.
About the Champagne Cocktail
The Champagne Cocktail is the old cocktail formula of sugar and bitters applied to sparkling wine. The bitters-soaked sugar cube sits in the glass sending up a steady stream of bubbles, and the drink grows slightly sweeter and spicier as it dissolves. A little cognac, a later addition, gives it more weight.
History
Earliest record 1855: Robert Tomes, Panama in 1855 (mention, no recipe)
Documented
The drink was known in the 1850s: Robert Tomes's 1855 account of the Panama Railroad mentions it as a drink of champagne with bitters and sugar served over ice. Jerry Thomas's How to Mix Drinks (New York, 1862) prints a recipe of sugar, bitters, a piece of lemon peel and champagne. Brandy was added by some bartenders later in the 19th century and is optional today.
Legend and lore
It is sometimes said that a New York bartender popularised the brandy version by winning a cocktail competition in 1889. The story is repeated without a clear source.
Variations
- French 75. Gin, lemon and sugar topped with sparkling wine.
- Kir Royale. Blackcurrant liqueur in place of the sugar and bitters.
- Old Fashioned. The same sugar-and-bitters idea with whiskey and ice.
Bartender's notes
- Use a dry sparkling wine; the sugar cube supplies all the sweetness the drink needs.
- Pour slowly; the rough sugar cube makes the wine foam up fast.
