CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS
Purists may bemoan the very concept of a Champagne cocktail – baulking at the idea of mixing Champagne with anything – but Champagne cocktails have been around for more than 150 years and remain popular today. The first iteration, dating back to at least the mid-1800s, is considered to be the very literally named Champagne Cocktail, made by mixing a bitters-soaked sugar cube with cognac in a glass and topping it up with Champagne. The Black Velvet cocktail, a mixture of Guinness and Champagne, was supposedly created to mark the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband in 1861. Since then, mixologists have paired Champagne with spirits including gin (French 75), rum (Old Cuban), and even tequila (Moet Margarita); fruit juices or purées (Mimosa or Bellini); and liqueurs (Kir Royale); and the popularity of Champagne cocktails shows no sign of abating.