EMBRACING BUBBLES
Fizz is in on cocktail scene
“Champagne is magic,” winemaker Amine Ghanem stated, swirling a glass of MCIII at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Calgary during a launch event in late March.
MCIII Champagne, Moet & Chandon’s latest, is a blend of three vintages and, to an aficionado, it combines the strength and complexity of an aged wine, with the fresh fruitiness of a young wine.
“It’s powerful and simple at the same time,” said Ghanem.
To me, the tiny bubbles made for a great mouth feel and tasted of creme brulee and bottled sunshine. So, yes, perhaps there was a bit of alchemy happening in my mouth. But the fact that a $599 bottle of champagne has come to Calgary makes a larger statement about the preferences of our collective palate: Fizz is in, and people are willing to pay more for the good stuff.
“Right now, the Prosecco boom is in full force, and people are starting to upgrade to sparkling wine and Champagne by the glass,” says Devon Seagrave of Charton-Hobbs, which distributes the Moet-Hennessy portfolio of bubbles across Canada.
“We’re dealing with a more educated consumer right now — they’re going for quality over quantity,” says Seagrave. “When they do go out, (a bottle of Champagne) is a small luxury.”
What’s more, bubbles are fun, and everyone from millennials to boomers is beginning to uncork a bottle for no particular reason other than it’s the weekend.
“Champagne puts people in a good mood,” concurs Nathan Newman, who just opened Untitled Champagne Lounge on 8th Avenue S.W. (and sold 59 bottles of bubbles on opening night). “It’s a celebratory spirit, and I feel like Calgary is really closing in on a place where we’re going to be celebrating more.”
The lounge will quickly get you to your happy place, too — Untitled’s decor harkens back to the 1920s era of flappers and jazz, with exposed brick walls, original wood floors, chandeliers, vintage frames that hold prints of French showgirls and tin tiles around the bar base that were salvaged from a road house. Tuxedoed bartenders, low sexy seating and weekly live jazz add up to a transportive ambience that cries out for a bottle of Piper Heidsieck.
Newman got the idea for opening a Champagne lounge in Calgary after a trip to New York, where he noticed that bubblybased drinks were occupying about 20 per cent of the menu at top cocktail bars.
“I was noticing a really serious trend,” he says. Not one to let an opportunity pass, Newman set about transforming the space adjacent to The Derrick Gin Mill, which he also operates.
Untitled Champagne Lounge carries 70 different kinds of bubbles, from Cava and Prosecco to sparkling wine and Champagne, with 15 Champagne houses represented. If you don’t want to splurge for a bottle, 28 labels are available by the glass or even a one-ounce pour (starting at $3), including Dom Perignon and Veuve Cliquot.
There are also 12 fizzy cocktails on the list, from the unique Coffee & Bubbles, which combines rum, joe and amaro with bubbles, to the delicious Champagne Mai Tai (see recipe), which elevates the tiki classic with a splash of sparkling wine. Most of the cock- tails sub in Prosecco or similar, to bring the cost down to $12 to $14, but you can ask for the real deal for an additional charge, so long as it’s one of their by-theglass Champagne options.
Of course, other Calgary bars offer bottles of bubbles and Champagne cocktails. The original Champagne Cocktail, Death in the Afternoon and the French 75 (see recipe) are classics that can be ordered at most establishments. What’s more, their popularity has surged in the past year.
Patrick Appave, bartender at the Oak Room at the Fairmont Palliser, says that sales of bubbly cocktails are up. He’s also noticed more patrons ordering bottles of Prosecco and Champagne, so it’s never been easier to get fizzy with it.
The only thing you might actually have a hard time tracking down is a bottle of Moet & Chandon’s MCIII, which will only be available in small quantities at boutique retailers for the time being. That’s the thing about magic — it can be hard to pin down.