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The French 75, Air Mail, Old Cuban, and Death in the Afternoon all fit the mold of Champagne cocktails, but as we’ll find out today, there’s arguably only one official “Champagne Cocktail.”
Standalone spec or category of cocktails? That’s the big debate on “Cocktail College” as we welcome Amy Racine, the beverage director for JF Restaurants, to explore the Champagne Cocktail. The International Bar Association classifies today’s drink as a “contemporary classic,” listing its ingredients as chilled Champagne, Cognac, Angostura bitters, a sugar cube, and — curiously — a few drops of Grand Marnier. That final component aside, it would seem to confirm that this is a cocktail instead of a category. As we’ll soon get into with Racine, riffs abound and are easily achieved by switching up the base spirit and tweaking a few other ingredients.
It’s Charmat, Chartreuse, Chandon, Gaston Chiquet, chilled glassware, chilled Cognac, citrus, Cava, chamomile, Calvados, and cocktail culture’s favorite curmudgeon, David Embury (oh my!). And it’s all right here on the “Cocktail College” podcast. Tune in for more.
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Amy Racine’s Champagne Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 brown sugar cube
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 ½ ounces chilled VSOP Cognac
- 3 ounces chilled Champagne
- Garnish: orange and lemon peel
Directions
- Add brown sugar cube to a chilled AP glass or flute.
- Soak cube with orange and Angostura bitters.
- Add Cognac and top with Champagne.
- Express and discard an orange and lemon twist.
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