Good Champagne doesn’t need to be dressed up – but every so often, a cocktail is exactly the right call. Here are a few classics worth keeping in your back pocket.
Champagne Cocktail (the original)
Soak a sugar cube in Angostura bitters, drop it into a chilled flute, and top with Champagne. Simple, a little old-fashioned in the best way, and the one that started the whole category.
French 75
Shake gin, lemon juice, and a touch of sugar syrup with ice, strain into a flute, and top with Champagne. Sharp, bright, and deceptively strong – treat it with a little caution.
Champagne Royale
A splash of crème de cassis (or another fruit liqueur) at the bottom of the glass, topped with Champagne. It’s essentially a Kir Royale, and it’s one of the easiest ways to turn an ordinary bottle into something a little more festive.
One rule for all of them
Save your best vintage bottles for drinking on their own. Cocktails are the perfect job for a solid, well-made non-vintage Brut – the extra complexity of a special bottle just gets lost once other flavours join the glass.