Champagne is a sparkling drink, at the mention of which the first thing that comes to mind is a bottle of deep green color with a loud firing cork. The women's favorite drink was named after the region in the north-east of France, where the production is located. The name Champagne is patented, and only sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region can rightfully be called Champagne.
The history of the Champagne cocktail
Old European newspapers abound in Champagne drinks recipes. Cocktails based on it, containing Brandy and orange liqueurs, can be found even in the oldest collections of recipes and cookbooks published back in 1861. Similar drinks were also mentioned in the 1869 weekly newspapers and the stories of Mark Twain. One of the most famous quotes about Champagne was in Jerry Thomas's 1862 manual.
The taste preferences of the population of that time were significantly different from what we are used to today: a few decades ago Champagne was much sweeter than the currently popular dry drink. Thomas's book of 1862 requires shaking all the ingredients, including a bottle of alcohol, which was undoubtedly a mistake, since mixing the components of the drink significantly spoils the taste of the cocktail.
Recipes from Jerry Thomas Book
The first recipe that clearly contained certain flaws:
- 1/2 tsp Sahara;
- 1 or 2 drops of Bitter (a strong alcoholic drink with a pronounced bitter taste);
- slice of lemon zest.
Fill the glass 1/3 with crushed ice. Lay out the ingredients. Add sparkling wine. Shake well and serve.
A later version of the Champagne drink recipe from Thomas (1887) contained the necessary corrections:
- take 1 slice of sugar;
- add 1 or 2 drops of bitter;
- put a small piece of ice on the bottom.
Fill the glass with sparkling wine, splash it with a spoon and serve with the decoration of a thin slice of twisted lemon peel - the Champagne drink is ready for a pleasant tasting.
It is believed that a man named John Dougherty made this drink famous for adding brandy to his composition, and later won the New York Cocktail Contest in 1889.
Other cocktail variations
A great party idea is to give your guests the opportunity to experiment with the preparation and selection of cocktails. Buy alcohol, which will be the base of the drink, pay attention to the main notes and strength, but do not forget about your budget. Absinthe, Campari, Chartreuse, pomegranate liqueur or orange liqueur is a great idea, you will also need sugar and crushed ice.
To impress guests, put strawberries in the freezer, which can be used as ice, and they will also serve as a wonderful decoration for cocktails. As an experiment, you can cool any kind of fruit or berries, especially fruits with bright colors will look especially impressive. Do not forget about lemons and oranges, and also pre-prepare two types of zest: dried and chopped with spirals. Glasses can be pre-cooled or decorated with sugar edges, or you can combine both methods. This emphasizes your sophisticated taste and attention to detail.
The integral part will be the addition of sparkling wine, nowadays dry sparkling wine is widely popular, but if you are not a fan of sour notes, choose a semisweet or sweet drink. What about the strength of the drink? The degree of the Champagne drink varies and depends on the accompanying ingredients and their concentration, but usually does not exceed 7 degrees. Your guests will love it!
Champagne Cocktail
In the ordinary sense, the drink belongs to the class of carbonated drinks, the Champagne beer drink has a strength of 5.9 degrees and is draft. The production of such a drink is a laborious and troublesome process, which, if all the rules are followed, helps to obtain a high-quality product. Champagne draft is characterized by a complete fermentation cycle followed by the addition of sugar. It contains characteristic floral notes and a bright honey finish.
Champagne drink is officially recognized by the International Barmen Association and is a classic. It is also surprising that, having become known more than a hundred and fifty years ago, the cocktail has not lost its leading position at all.