Bubble over with a little class on New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve always brings a promise of new and better things. With that in mind, let’s discuss new and better things to do with champagne. I love knocking back bubbly straight from the bottle as much as the next person, but the new year is about a new you, a classier you. Let’s start by drinking better.
Champagne has a long history in cocktails. The most famous is the French 75, named for a field artillery cannon, although it has a murky creation story. Another is the Seelbach cocktail, a drink with no questions about its origin, since it is named for the hotel where it was created. More utilitarian yet no less delicious is the appropriately named Champagne Cocktail. Finally, we have the Duke Cocktail, a more adventurous cocktail that I believe is ready to be rediscovered.
A quick note about bubbly before we get started on the recipes. As most of you know, Champagne is a specific product from a specific region in France. Many sparkling wines can be used in its place. What you might not know is that it is believed that Champagne used to be naturally sweeter than it is today. For cocktails, I would stay away from Extra Brut Champagne and Spanish cava. I also steer clear of sweeter bubblies like Muscato. A decent prosecco is usually my choice for cocktails.
Kevin and Heather Gavagan are Charlotte cocktail nerds who host public and private cocktail events. Follow them on Twitter (@hauntbarCLT) or email HauntbarCLT@gmail.com.
Champagne Cocktail
This is a great and easy way to give your guests a little something extra without a lot of extra work or alcohol. The sugar cube creates a great starting place for the bubbles, creating a lovely effect in the glass.
1 sugar cube (demerara if you can find them)
Bitters
Chilled sparkling wine
Citrus peel for garnish
Soak a sugar cube in bitters (I like Angostura, but feel free to experiment). I usually do the soaking in a small bowl and then move the cube to a flute.
Place the soaked cube at the bottom of a Champagne flute, then top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with a strip of citrus peel swath that complements the bitters you used. For lighter bitters, use lemon; for darker, more complex ones, try orange.
Yield: 1 serving.
French 75
This is the poster child for Champagne cocktails and one of the first of the resurgent classic cocktails to catch on. It is a simple and elegant drink with just a little extra kick.
2 ounces gin
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish: Thick lemon slice and a cocktail cherry
Place gin, lemon juice and sugar in a cocktail shaker and shake over ice until cold. Strain into a flute. Top with sparkling wine, give it a gentle stir and add the garnish.
Yield: 1 serving.
Seelbach Cocktail
The Seelbach was lost to time in the 1920s during Prohibition. The recipe was unearthed in the mid-1990s by a bar manager at Seelbach Hotel in Louisville and put back on the menu. The hotel is in Kentucky, so of course, it has bourbon in it.
1 ounce bourbon
1/2 ounce Cointreau
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish: A strip of orange peel
This drink can be assembled in two ways: You can build it in the glass by putting all of the ingredients in and giving a gentle stir, or you can put all of the ingredients except the champagne in a glass over ice and stir until chilled, then strain into the flute and then top with Champagne. The second is a little less messy but requires the extra steps.
Yield: 1 serving.
The Duke Cocktail
I found this while researching this column and instantly liked it. It was in a 1961 copy of the “Old Mr. Boston’s De Luxe Official Bartenders Guide.” With very little extra booze, this drink creates a whole new experience from Champagne.
1/2 ounce triple sec
1 teaspoon orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur, such as Luxardo
1 egg (whole or just the white; you can also use a liquid egg product, such as Egg Beaters)
Chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish: A long strand of lemon peel
Put egg in a cocktail shaker and shake alone for 20-30 seconds; this is known as a dry shake and it will begin to aerate the egg and create a wonderful foam.
Open the shaker and add ice and the remaining ingredients, except for the sparkling wine. Shake for 45 seconds.
Double strain into a 6- to 8-ounce coupe (the wide, shallow style of champagne glass). Gently top with sparkling wine. Pour as close to the edge as possible to let the champagne slip under the foam layer. (To double strain, hold a small kitchen strainer over the glass and pour the contents through the cocktail strainer and the kitchen strainer into the glass.)
Place lemon strand over the foam, draping off the edge of the glass.
Yield: 1 serving.
This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 3:35 PM.