The champagne cocktail is one of those wonderfully old-fashioned drinks that has somehow never really gone away. It dates back to the mid-1800s, with a recipe appearing in Jerry Thomas’ very famous 1862 cocktail book.
Interestingly, the combination of sugar, bitters and spirit actually puts it in the same family as an Old Fashioned. Champagne taking the place of the water and ice, giving you something much lighter and, of course, fizzier.
There’s something particularly lovely about the way the bitters-soaked sugar cube slowly dissolves into the Champagne. You get little bursts of spice and sweetness as you drink it, while the Cognac gives the whole thing a little more warmth and weight.
A classic champagne cocktail feels properly retro, which is exactly what I wanted alongside the devilled eggs – very Rivals, very 80s drinks party, and very easy to make.
CLASSIC CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
A properly old-fashioned Champagne cocktail – cold, fizzy and gently bittersweet. I like to keep everything in the fridge (including the glasses!), for extra cold cocktails.
Ingredients
- 1 brown sugar cube
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 15 ml cognac
- brut champagne
Instructions
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Place the sugar cube on a teaspoon and splash over the Angostura bitters. Let it soak into the sugar cube, then drop it into a flute glass.
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Pour over the cognac, then slowly top the glass up with the champagne. Watch as the sugar cube dissolves – it's a gorgeous sight.
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