Zombie

ZOMBIE

Here's where's the rums gone!

Do you have many different styles of rums in your cabinet waiting to be used? Well say no more, here's a cocktail you can well spend those rums of yours! I introduce you with the Zombie cocktail. Probably one of the most famous tiki styled drink (among with the Mai Tai), the Zombie is just a bunch of rums mixed with fruit juices and made delicious as fudge!

So first things first. This is a modified recipe made by my friend and truth to be told, there are numerous different recipes out there. We didn't find it appealing to even try with the original but instead wanted to make a version easily made at home! So use rums you have at home, twist it as you please and hopefully you will find the one that suits you the best!

• 5 X 2 cl different styles of rums
• fruits (orange, lime, citrus)
• 1-2 ds bitters
• 1-2 ds grenadine

Muddle the fruit, add the rum and rest, shake with ice and single strain into a bigger glass roughly ~70% filled with crushed ice. Garnish with fruits and add a straw. Enjoy.

Results? Rum-based, fruity, strong. I would recommend mixing spiced rums with aged rums and just fly with it. Worth the try? Definitely.

Cheerhattan

CHEERHATTAN

My input for the international competition!

Hey! Here's a cocktail and actually my input for the international Heering classics, which made it to the 2nd round! Since I love proper Manhattans, I wanted to make (as the rules were) a delicious twist to it (a classic). I call it the Cheerhattan. My train of thought went like this:

- Cheer (cocktails are a cheerful thing)

- heer as per "Heering"

- hattan as per the end of Manhattan

Funny and well-thought, eh? I thought the same :D Anyhow, I've made this drink a few times now and everytime it surprises me with deliciousness! Here's how it's done:

• 3.5 cl quality bourbon (I used Old Virginia 6yo)
• 2 cl Heering cherry liqueur
• 1.5 cl sweet red vermouth
• 1 bs chocolate-syrup (coffee-syrup)
• 1-2 ds bitters
• (1 ds cocoa bitters)
• orange twist

Excluding the garnish, stir everything with ice and strain into a well-chilled coupe/cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

BOOM!

If you think of it, what could go wrong? We have good bourbon, cherries, chocolate, spices...it's all there! If all else fails and I won't make it further down the competition, at least I've had a good run with this cocktail.

Rob Roy v2

ROB ROY

(RE-VISITED)

Hey everyone. Here's a cocktail I made over five years ago, so now it's time to re-visit this splendid drink. I introduce you to the Rob Roy. I've come a long way since 2012 and if you checked the picture from back then, wow was it ugly :D Also the measures have changed, but just a little bit.

As the IBA official cocktail stands for 4.5cl/2.5cl scotch and sweet vermouth, here is a more oompfier version:

• 6 cl scotch (blend)
• 2 cl sweet vermouth
• 2-3 ds angostura bitters
• maraschino cherry/orange twist/curl/etc...

A long stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish. Serve.

I can't even remember what scotch I used back then, but now I used the Johnnie Walker Black label, aged 12yo. The cocktail was spicy, well-balanced, had a strong flavor profile and well...it's a Scottish version of one of my favorites, the Manhattan. So what could go wrong?

The beauty of this drink is that you can easily modify it by using different scotch where as with the Manhattan you only change the bourbon. So you could say this is a more versatile cocktail, but not as sweet as its American cousin.

Rye Old Fashioned

RYE OLD FASHIONED

Hey! Today as I was waiting for my good friend to arrive (so we can make a cocktail video), I prepared myself a Rye Old Fashioned. Similar to any OF for that matter, I happened to have a little bit of simple syrup left so why the hell not? :D

• 5-7 cl Rye whiskey (I used Rittenhouse Rye 50%)
• ~1.5 cl simple syrup
• 2-3 ds bitters (I used creole + old decanter)

A long stir with ice, strain into a tumbler filled with ice and garnish. I used a cocktail(:D)cherry + the essential oils of a lemon peel. This cocktail is more to the sweet side, but damn was it good.

Averna Sour

AVERNA SOUR

Greetings everyone! Tonight's special is a real treat! The Averna Sour! I had the priviledge to make this one with a colleague and friend of mine at my work place and we actually made two versions of it; one with egg white and one without. By slightly altering the ratios you can make a cocktail that'll best suit your preferences!

• 4 cl averna (an Italian bitter liqueur)
• 2 cl sugar syrup 1:1
• 2 cl lemon juice
• 2 ds bitters
• (1 egg white)

If using egg whites, remember as always to dry shake first! Otherwise, just pour everything in the shaker, give it a good shake with plenty of ice and strain over fresh ice onto an OF - glass. Garnish with e.g. a lemon twist. As you can see in the picture, that one was made with egg white, giving the Averna Sour beautiful texture and volume. In addition, we sprinkled the bitters on top of the drink instead of putting it in the mixing glass.

Herbal, sweet and with balanced tartness, it's a great sour altogether! You could also make a slight variation/twist if you want, using different ratios of lemon juice/simple syrup or even Averna. For example, 5-1-2 (as mentioned above the ingredients). Follow your instincts and like Shia Labeouf, just do it! I know we did!

Drambuie Sour

DRAMBUIE SOUR

Fresh magic in a glass

Hey everyone!

Today's special is a cocktail called Drambuie Sour. The recipe I got from a restaurant/bar called August von Trappe, located just by the rapids in Tampere. The idea here was the following: I wanted to see how bartenders use Drambuie in a cocktail, which isn't a Rusty Nail (as seen before). Since not many bars stock this liqueur, it was only right that I kind of challenge the staff to create magic out of it. In my sincerest opinion, that time they succeeded BUT not without mentioning that when I first ordered "A Drambuie - based cocktail, can't be a RN.", the bartender was rather insecure and couldn't come up with anything. I told her that it didn't really matter what she would make and that she can "fulfill any cocktail fantasies she has" with this liqueur. Alas, she asked her senior to help her out and together they made this. The Drambuie Sour:

• 4 cl Drambuie
• 4 cl fresh orange juice
• 3 cl fresh lemon juice
• 1 cl simple syrup
• 2 ds each orange and angostura bitters
• 1 egg white

Dry shake everything, add ice, shake again and double strain into a large-ish tumbler half filled with ice. Garnish with a orange twist.

Fresh, not too sweet and with a great orange - aroma to it. A steady egg white foam, good body. The aftertaste is a bit bitter (egg white). Just amazing.

I hope that the first bartender gets inspiration off of this and in the future keeps making great cocktails!

The Sazerac

THE SAZERAC

Evening everyone! Today...it finally happened. I made the Sazerac. This has been one of the cocktails on my forever "to-do" list because of one ingredient that is extremely hard to acquire. Oh yes...yes indeed, and I'm talking about the Peychaud's Bitters. Halleluja that one friend-colleague of mine managed to fetch me one bottle so the time had come to make this beauty.

This version is the IBA one. This drink's history is rather intriguing and to make a long story short, you could make this two ways by choosing your main ingredient; cognac or rye (whiskey). I tried it with cognac (it being the "original" one before rye came along):

The recipe is quite straightforward and follows the IBA instructions:

• 5 cl cognac (I used Meukow VSOP)
• 2 ds Peychaud's bitters
• 1 sugar cube (okay I used 1 tsp of simple syrup because I didn't have a single (!) cube at home)
• ~1 cl absinthe (quality-wise not a big difference, read further why)
• a lemon peel (just the oils)
• a frozen (small) OF glass

Start by having your glass extremely cold ie. in the freezer. Give the three first ingredients a good long stir. Before straining it though, rinse the inside of your now cold glass with a small amount of absinthe. Then, discard the liquid (absinthe). Now strain your drink into your OF glass. Press the lemon zest oils over the drink but don't garnish it. Serve.

With a fresh nose to it, the Sazerac is sophisticated, strong, herbal, sweet-ish and just damn delicious! Can't wait to try it with the rye and see which one reigns supreme!

I got to say, this drink doesn't look like much but you know how they say, less is more? My initial opinion of this drink is that it kicks ass, big time.

Smoky Rum Old Fashioned

SMOKY RUM OLD FASHIONED

As per Waldo Smit

A good weekend to everyone! Today I've "exited" my comfort area to make something completely different. I introduce you the Smoky Rum Old Fashioned.

I stumbled upon this recipe (or video to be honest) by accident. I checked it out, fancied it and thought to myself "I might as well give it a go!" I pretty much had everything except for the lapsang souchong tea needed. Yesterday I found a store that had it and I immediately bought a pack. Let's get ready to business!

• 6 cl spicy rum
• 1.5 cl smoky simple syrup
• 4d orange bitters
• cinnamon + star anise + grated nutmeg
• a glass jar
• an orange wheel + star anise for the garnish
• a kitchen blowtorch

The video will pretty much explain the whole process how to make it and I won't be going through it namely because it would take a small life time to explain the same thing the original author did in a tad over 1 minute 30 seconds. So I'll just skip ahead and review the cocktail. Before that though, I would consider this cocktail a somewhat "special occasion" drink, since...

First of all, effort. This cocktail takes some. Secondly, the effort is rewarded in the end by its flavor profile. Thirdly, but not lastly, choosing a good rum will work wonders here. I noticed the author used Sailor Jerry, I instead went for El Dorado 15yo. For me (+ the 4d's of orange bitters), it was a bit too fruity. Could also be that I didn't smoke the dried spices enough. The cocktail itself was still complex as f**k and when the opportunity arises, I shall make another one of these beauties! 

Islay Sour

ISLAY SOUR

What would Ron Swanson do?

Heya guys! It's been a long time since my last update! So why not continue by making an interesting cocktail that uses one ingredient that most people would find horrifying if used in a mixed drink! I present you the Islay Sour!

The story so far; I found out about this in a portfolio made by Diageo. In its "perfect serve" there was this peculiar one there. A typical sour, yes, but with Laga-fucking-vulin 16yo? It had to be done...so I made it by using their recipe and here's how YOU can do it at home:

• 4 cl Lagavulin 16yo
• 3 cl lemon juice
• 2 cl simple syrup (1:1)
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• 1 egg white (fresh!)

Although the recipe calls for ice shaking all right away, I would still dry-shake first, then add ice and finally shake again. Double straining as usual.

The looks is great, a beautiful peachy color and velvety texture. Taste-wise, the citrus dominated a bit and I was hoping for more "oompf" from the whisky, the Lagavulin did give a nice kick in the end though with its sweet peatiness. What I would nonetheless do, is alter the recipe just a tad should I ever do it again:

• 5 cl Lagavulin 16yo
• 2 cl lemon
• 2 cl syrup
• 2 dashed bitters
• 1 egg white

In its essence, give the drink more its need power and lessen the citrus-y notes.

The cocktail itself was quite the experiment and in my opinion, one of those drinks you can really try if feeling courageous :) 

Here's the same drink made on video (in Finnish!)

Rum Cola Fizz

RUM COLA FIZZ

A good and a summery evening to y'all! Tonight I present you with a cocktail that makes good use of the classic version of the Ramos Gin Fizz. I picked up the recipe from a cocktail community I currently belong to and extra went to the local shop today to get a few ingredients I was short of! So here it is, the Rum Cola Fizz.

• 4 cl dark rum
• 2 cl lime juice
• 2 cl simple syrup
• 2 cl heavy cream
• 1 egg white (as fresh as possible)
• 1 dash angostura bitters
• cola to top

Except with the cola, add everything in a cocktail shaker, dryshake firmly first, then add ice and shake again very vigorously until super cold. Strain into a tumbler and top the drink with cola. No garnish needed.

The taste was quite funky indeed! The cola addition had a slight nostalgic touch to it making the whole drink remind me of those childhood cola-popsicles.

Angostura 1919 / El Dorado 15yo Old Fashioned

Angostura 1919 / El Dorado 15yo 

Old Fashioned

Angostura 1919 version

El Dorado 15yo version

A fine evening to each and all! Tonight I created a cocktail courtesy of Charlotte Voisey and her Flor de Caña Old Fashioned. Since I didn't have the original ingredients at hand I made a little adjustments/twists to suit my needs. In the end, it turned out alright!

As we know, an Old Fashioned can easily be modified by changing the base spirit. Bourbon is the traditional one but with little tweaks you can make it appeal to people who might not like the taste of bourbon (if such people exist :D). What I did was two versions because quite frankly, the first one did not catch the essence of what I was looking for. Let's break down what I did here:

• 6 cl aged rum (Angostura 1919/El Dorado 15yo this time)
• 2 bs brown sugar syrup
• 3-4 dashes orange bitters
• 2 orange zest + 1 for garnish

Put all the ingredients in the mixing glass, press the orange zest for their essential oils and drop them in as well. Give it a good stir with ice and strain into your glass. Flame one orange zest over the drink and use it as a garnish. Serve.

As it is no mystery that different rums taste differently, the way the worked in this particular cocktail was astonishing. With the Angostura 1919 version it was a bold, spicy cocktail. Elegant, but strong. I did not quite got the fruity aromas I was hoping for so later this evening I made a second one using El Dorado 15yo rum. Now the cocktail had a much more "aromatic" sense to it, making it a better drink overall.

Quite the cocktail, I say!

Brandy Eggnog

BRANDY EGGNOG

Good late evening everyone!

Tonight I made a cocktail that incorporates an egg yolk. I introduce you to the Brandy Eggnog!

Winter is coming (chuckle) and soon we'll all be warming ourselves in front of fire places drinking fine drinks. Eggnogs in general a good choice for these kind of actions. The recipe I used goes as following:

• 5 cl milk (prefer whole milk)
• 4 cl brandy
• an egg yolk (you know, the yellow part :D)
• a dash of bitters
• (nutmeg for garnish)

Put everything in a cocktail shaker and (dry) shake. I must confess that with egg whites a dry shake is very recommended but I will have to look up the use of this method when dealing with egg yolks. Nonetheless, I dry shook the drink first, then added ice and shook again. Definitely double strain into a cocktail glass and (optionally) garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Opinions? I loved the silky smooth texture this cocktail had. Well-rounded cognac-y taste with a distinctive aroma from the nutmeg. BUT in my opinion the cocktail felt "thin and light", due to milk used. Fresh cream would've made a difference and made the overall drink feel better in the mouth. 

I'll give this cocktail a 3½ out of 5!

Editor's note: When dealing with fresh eggs (either whites or yolks), take good care of overall hygiene when dealing with these items.

The Glenhattan

THE GLENHATTAN

Good day again, cocktail lovers! Today's cocktail is a bit of a "mix-and-match" if you will. Well, in all honesty it's just an awesome variant of the all known Manhattan (editor's note: Oh gosh that picture of the Manhattan I made a long time ago looks horrible by normal standards!). Introducing the Glenhattan.

But let's go back a little bit. The "story" of this cocktail stems from roughly one year back. I was having a discussion regarding Manhattans in general and one was intrigued to make one using Laphroaig. To those who do not know, Laphroaig is a heavily smoked/peaty whiskey; the mother of all Islay whiskies.

The result was, well, according to him, as expected. I haven't tried one myself and aren't really inclined to test it in the near future either. Nonetheless, one night after heading back from work I was fiddling with this idea; "What else could I use instead of bourbon to make a Manhattan?" Then it struck me.

Some time ago I received a bottle of Glenfiddich 15yo as a present from my mother-in-law. I definitely had to try that. I was surprised how well the Solera vatted scotch worked in this one:

• 5 cl Glenfiddich 15yo
• 2.5 cl sweet vermouth (rosso)
• 1-2 dashes angostura bitters
• 3 maraschino cherries (for garnish)

In a cocktail glass, add your ingredients (except for the garnish duh), add ice, stir until properly cold/diluted and strain into a cocktail glass. Use a cocktail-pick with three maraschino cherries in it and drop it in the glass. Serve and enjoy.

MARASCHINO CHERRIES
In a sterilized jar, put your desired amount of cherries (I used dried ones...at least they were significantly smaller than cherries bought from a farmer's market) and top the jar with maraschino liqueur. Lasts indefinitely (read: until eaten)

First comments; smooth. Clear notes of honey and a silky texture. It's powerful but not as coarse as the whiskey is clearly more aged/matured. I give this cocktail my approval!

The Forgotten Pearl

THE FORGOTTEN PEARL

"These pearls make you forget the troubles of yesterday."

A cheesy-ass quote I just made up starts my newest post! Welcome aboard gents and hold fast, it's going to be a long ride to the unknown...

...just kidding. The story behind this cocktail goes somewhat like this: I go to the grocery store with my wife and her sister I see some passion fruits and I decide I want to make a cocktail using them. In addition, the coaster you see (has a bit of an "earthy" feel to it and fits absolutely perfectly with the kitchen table) was given to me by a good friend of mine. "It has to have rum in it" I thought. Also some exotic fruit of some kind (besides the passion fruit). The Forgotten Pearl was born:

• 2 cl aged rum
• 2 cl gran marnier
• 2 cl martini bianco (sweet clear vermouth)
• 4 cl pineapple juice
• 4 cl orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)
• 1-2 dashes angostura bitters
• 2 passion fruits (for the actual cocktail only 1½ is used, the rest ½ is used for garnish)
• 1 bar spoon D.O.M benedictine "float"

First spoon pearls from the 1½ passion fruit in the shaker. Add the juices and alcohols except for the benedictine. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish by scooping the ½ passion fruit left over. Finally add a bar spoon of your herbal liqueur onto the drink. Enjoy.

Quite the drink I say! It has a velvety smooth texture, it is plenty of notes of citrus, the "roundness" from the rum and the complexity from the vermouth/gran marnier. Especially towards the end I could experience an ocean of herbal-like tastes, which made this cocktail...just wonderful.

The Pegu Club Cocktail

THE PEGU CLUB COCKTAIL

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I actually should've posted this some days ago but laziness got into me so I kind of postponed this until the dark hours some call "midnight". Nonetheless, here is a very interesting cocktail based on gin but tastes just like grapefruit. I introduce you to the Pegu Club Cocktail. I could link all kinds of wiki articles regarding the history of this cocktail, but apparently this is a very traditional/well-known cocktail in...Latin America was it? Moreover, there's one rather "special" ingredient that you might look for in order to make it:

• 5 cl gin
• 2 cl triple sec
• 1 cl fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 dash angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I wanted to use my rather less-used tulip-glass (just for fun's sake) but a small coupe would've done the trick more nicely. As for the garnish, the "traditional" garnish is a peel grapefruit or so (to implement the taste of it) but a lime slice/wedge will do the trick.

But I got to say, it does taste like grapefruit! It's a rather interesting mixture this Pegu Club Cocktail. Also for those not fond of gin, I doubt you would have problems drinking this. I give it a solid +1!

Hop Toad Cocktail

HOP TOAD COCKTAIL

It's a day off so why not have a cocktail? Exactly! 

Today I'm doing a Hop Toad Cocktail using this as my inspiration. The result? Read for yourself.

• 4.5 cl aged rum
• 1.5 cl apricot liquor (I used dekuyper's apricot brandy)
• juice from ½ a lime
• a few dashes angostura bitters

Add everything in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake! doublestrain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

This is actually a rather sour drink, having no apparent (duh) sweetening agent,. My first sip and I immediately notice the sourness, then the apricot's sweetness and finally the rum that kicks last, but not least. I must say as much as this looks like a Daquiri I've made and feels like one (perhaps the aged rum - lime combo), this has nothing to do with it.

Not a super cocktail, but if you like sour things, you will love this one.

Guion Cocktail

GUION COCKTAIL

Well met again. It has been a (long) while since my last post, but hush now child, it's time for a new cocktail! I introduce you to the Guion Cocktail.

Full of flavor and complexity, this is definitely a pre-dinner cocktail. Let's have a look at it:

• 4.5 cl gin
• 4.5 cl sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 bar spoon of D.O.M. Benedictine ("float")

Stir the first three ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Finally pour the Benedictine over the drink. It won't float though, so don't worry about it sinking.

First things first. This is a beautiful cocktail. Its color is vibrant and very captivating. I could easily smell herbs from both the (dominating) Benedictine and the vermouth. Taste-wise, iiiinteresting. To be honest, for an all-alcoholic cocktail this sure doesn't taste like one! But then again, this is not a "simple" drink to just enjoy in a hurry. 

To sum this cocktail up...I could say if you like herbal flavors and something to really think about, the Guion Cocktail is for you!

The Old Fashioned

THE OLD FASHIONED

"That's like Don Draper in a glass."

Tonight we're doing the most classic cocktail of them all, the Old Fashioned. You might remember me doing a somewhat similar drink earlier this year (The bacon-infused bourbon Benton's Old Fashioned), but here is the cocktail that 

1. is a true classic
2. is my favorite cocktail of all times and
3. is friggin' good!

First things first. There are numerous "different" recipes out there. Moreover, even more different ways to make it (controversy ensured). I will explain to you how I make this cocktail and then let you decide. Just remember that the base for an Old Fashioned goes like this:

• sugar (1 cube or ~1.5cl simple syrup)
• angostura bitters (a few dashes)
• ice cubes
• bourbon at least 4 cl (1½ fl oz), preferably 5 cl (1 3/4 fl oz)
• (garnish)

As mentioned, some use simple syrup (1:1 ratio) and some use a sugar cube. I usually do the latter. It takes a little bit more time to do, since you have to "manually" dissolve the sugar but it doesn't bother me.

So what you want to do is to pour a few dashes on the sugar. You can either do this OR put a small napkin on top of your tumbler, put the sugar cube in the middle and then pour the dashes on top. This way you won't get angostura bitters all over the sides of the glass, because you don't have to be 100% precise with your aiming. Let is soak for a while, then drop it in the glass.

Using the end-part of your bar spoon (or a muddler for that matter), muddle the sugar into small bits. Take your bourbon and pour in a small quantity (not all of it, say a quarter of what you have) into the glass, stir it for the sugar to dissolve, drop 1-2 ice cubes in and continue stirring. More bourbon, more ice.

You should now have used all of your bourbon and the drink looks somewhat the same as in the picture above.

Now here's the part that many of us do differently. There are no true right's per se, but one wrong; just one rule of thumb; as long as you don't muddle any of the garnish in the drink, you're doing fine! I've seen one youtube clip where the guy muddles the cocktail cherry and orange wedge and every fruit imaginable in the glass before proceeding in the bourbon part! Oh why?!

Whatever you like, a slice of lemon, a wedge of orange, a cocktail cherry, any combination (I've rarely seen limes used, and to be honest I would skip that fruit altogether), that is very acceptable and if anyone tells you different, tell them to go F - themselves. What I recommend is using a peel of lemon and flame it.

Cut a peel of lemon, light a fire and press the peel close to the source of flame. The essential oils will burst on top of the glass. Rub the peel around the rim and drop it in. Of course the flaming part is very optional (remember fire safety!) and if you don't have a flame close by, powerfully pressing the peel only will release those oils as well. Give your drink a refreshing touch!

There it is, the classic, the one and only, the Old Fashioned. Enjoy.

Tiki cocktail

TIKI COCKTAIL

Hola! Wow did I excel myself today! Not only did I sent a job application to a store close-by, I celebrated this by finally making a Tiki Cocktail. I figured out this cocktail was a mixture of a Mai Tai and a Zombie Cocktail and a Planter's Punch. One of the craziest things I've done regarding cocktails. A lot of work, a lot of sweat but the result...Hoo-rah!

First things first. You need a pineapple. I used a large pineapple that could hold more than a pint of liquid inside. I used this as a guideline since I didn't have a pineapple corer. Then, in a mixing glass I had:

• 4 cl white rum
• 4 cl aged dark rum
• 2 cl cointreau
• 2 cl cognac
• 3 tablespoons of pineapple pulp
• juice of ½ a lime

Added crushed ice and shook it. Before straining the content in my now hollow pineapple, I added some crushed ice inside it. Strained my mixture into the pineapple, then added

• 8 cl orange juice (quality)
• 8 cl pineapple juice (quality)
• 3 dashes of angostura bitters on top
• a pineapple leaf (yeah I know the top looked kinda bad)
• a cocktail cherry

Stirred the whole thing a bit, added straws and enjoyed.

Visually, well, heh, you can't really beat that. The cocktail wasn't as sweet, the opposite, a bit sour. The cognac's smoothness could be distinguished and overall it had gentle fruitiness. This is a strong cocktail, don't let it fool you. Or maybe my pineapple was just that large...go figure. :)

Classic Champange Cocktail

Classic Champagne Cocktail

It is time for a Monday after-work cocktail! The Classic Champagne Cocktail (CCC...okay I made that one up).

I admit I especially bought two champagne flutes in order to create this cocktail. Although I'm bigger fan of those "old fashioned champagne saucers", these kind of flutes are good for champagne cocktail making (and others too, as far as I know). Moreover, a tall flute is better at keeping the bubbles in the drink whereas the saucer's wideness releases those bubbles quicker.

But what is a classic champagne cocktail then? How does it differ from a "regular" champagne cocktail? One thing, for that matter. The cognac. A champagne cocktail consists of angostura bitters, one sugar cube and champagne (sparkling wine), a classic is made as follows:

• 30 ml cognac
• 1 sugar cube
• angostura bitters
• champagne to top off (or sparking wine like I did, preferrably brut [dry])
• a lemon twist for garnish

First pour in the cognac in the flute. Then add your champagne but leave some space for the sugar cube (it will make the cocktail foam a bit). Now here have some options how to soak our sugar cube in angostura. Some like to use a napkin and put the cube on it, add the angostura, wait a while and then drop it in the cocktail but you can also use this:

Hold the cube tightly on top of the angostura bottle and turn it once or twice to fully soak it. Remember to have a large enough cube to cover the whole bottle! (mine spilled a little bit). Then take the cube and drop it in the drink. The cocktail will foam but as you can see from the picture it looks very beautiful! Use a long lemon twist to garnish your master piece (cut the zest near the glass so the essential oils will spray to your drink) and there you have it, the 

Classic Champagne Cocktail. For any special occasion.

I liked this cocktail very much. The cognac rounded the sparking wine's taste perfectly + I especially liked how the dissolving sugar cube made the cocktail sweeter to the end!