The Champagne Cocktail

The Champagne Cocktail is a classic, sparkling wine drink made with bitters, sugar, and Champagne. It has a balanced, citrusy flavor profile with a touch of sweetness and warming spice.

The Champagne Cocktail first appeared in Jerry Thomas’ book The Bartenders Guide: How to Mix Drinks which was published in 1862. Thomas was a bartender who operated multiple saloons and bars in New York City, California, Chicago, and beyond. He was a pivotal figure in the creation of a lexicon of classic cocktails, bartending showmanship, and the creation of a modern cocktail culture. 

Thomas’ recipe for the Champagne Cocktail is not unlike the one we use today. He called for 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 or 2 dashes of bitters, a lemon peel, and Champagne. The major difference is that Thomas instructs people to fill a cocktail shaker with the ingredients and cracked ice, including the sparkling wine, and shake it well before straining out the drink. Adding anything effervescent to a cocktail shaker not only risks spills due to pressure build up, but shaking bubbly ingredients will also cause them to go flat.

The modern Champagne Cocktail is built in a Champagne flute. A sugar cube is placed in the bottom of the flute, doused in bitters — a few more dashes than Thomas original calls for — and topped with Champagne. The result is a delicious, festive cocktail perfect for a crowd.

Why the Champagne Cocktail Works:

This flavorful cocktail proves why classics should be respected. The Champagne Cocktail is all about balancing flavorful ingredients in harmony with each other. The bitters give the drink notes of warming clove, the sugar adds richness, and the Champagne provides citrusy notes as well as savory depth. The lemon twist garnish plays off the bright notes present in the brut Champagne.

As the sugar cube dissolves into the drink, it yields gorgeous thin lines of bubbles that travel up the glass. If you don’t have sugar cubes, use a teaspoon of regular sugar instead.