PrintTime for a Drink: Champagne Cocktail
Let's get this weekend started right. Here's a cocktail recipe from Paul Clarke (The Cocktail Chronicles) to kick things off. Need more than one? That kinda week, eh? Here you go. Cheers!
For many people New Year’s Eve means breaking out the bubbly, but all too often the bottles are kept socked away until midnight. That’s a shame—good Champagne and other sparkling wines are great to enjoy throughout the evening (in moderation, of course). And as a bonus, modest wines easily take on a new, more luscious character with just a little help from the liquor cabinet.
If you’re serving sparkling wine over the holiday and are looking for something new, try perking up the drink by rinsing the glass with a teaspoon or so of good quality liqueur before pouring the wine. Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb will contribute a delicate orange quality to the drink, while a little apricot liqueur (Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot and Marie Brizard Apry are both good choices) gives the wine a special fruity twist. A splash of green Chartreuse gives the bubbly extra mystery, while a little crème de violette—Rothman & Winter is the choice here again—gives the drink an intriguing floral aspect. A little experimentation goes a long way; just be sure to use a brut, or dry sparkling wine, since the liqueur will contribute enough sweetness to make the drink pleasant without veering into cloying.
Of course, livening up a sparkling wine can be as easy as putting together a Champagne Cocktail. Simple to prepare, easy on the eyes and damn tasty to boot, the Champagne Cocktail is a pleasant way to dip into the bubbly while ringing in the new year.
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients
Sugar cube
Angostura bitters (Peychaud’s bitters also works very well)
Dry Champagne or other sparkling wine
Lemon twist, for garnish
Procedure
Place the sugar cube on a small saucer and douse with two or three dashes of bitters. Place the sugar in the bottom of a champagne flute, and fill with sparkling wine (careful—the sugar will make the wine foam, so go slow). Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink and use as garnish.
If you’d like to further explore the details, procedure and history of the Champagne Cocktail, watch the video prepared by my good friend Robert Hess over at Small Screen Network.
View other entries from Cocktail Concoctions.
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4 Comments:
FABULOUS! Bring it back sexy. I love cocktails. I think that crafted drinks are an art form and a life style. Thank you so much Paul. (raising my Cosmo to you in appreciation) Great Topic!
JerzeeTomato at 7:11PM on 12/28/07
A few drops of cassis turns a flute of champagne into a Kir Royale. I make my own peach infusion with fruit, reisling, rum and sugar and use that to make Lippy Royales (although I confess that I usually use Cava or Prosecco for that purpose.)
Lippy at 12:17PM on 12/29/07
One of my favorites is a shot of Chambord in a flute of champagne and garnished with several raspberries or blackberries.
sean_mcgee at 10:01AM on 01/03/08
Called a 'James Bond' at Le Fumoir in Paris, France.
alibparis at 7:04AM on 01/07/08