The recipe
for your table
Soak the sugar cube in the Angostura and lower it into the flute or coupe.
Pour the cognac over it.
Top up gently with champagne – the cube begins to fizz.
Garnish with a zest and serve immediately.
The story
The Champagne Cocktail already appears in Jerry Thomas' very first cocktail book from 1862 and was the height of decadence in the nineteenth century – Mark Twain had already written about it. The cognac version became famous in the American bars of Paris and achieved its definitive glamour in Casablanca: it is the drink with which Victor Laszlo toasts to freedom at Rick's Café. The bubbling sugar cube at the bottom turns every serving into a little fireworks display – an effect no modern mixology can rival.
The right glass
Both classics work: in a flute, you can watch the sugar cube send bubbles upward for minutes; in a coupe, it drinks like it did in the 1920s. Choose a flute of around 30 cl for the full effect, or a vintage 20 cl coupe for a Gatsby atmosphere. The clearer the crystal, the more beautiful the spectacle at the bottom. If you want to watch the cube fizz for as long as possible, choose a flute from our champagne flute glasses.
RCR Essential Champagne Flute 30 cl (6 pieces)
Lehmann London Champagne Glass / Coupe 20 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets — €109.90 together, free shipping from €50.
Variations & twists
Soaking the sugar cube in orange bitters makes it fresher; leaving out the cognac makes it lighter and more elegant. The Old Cuban—with rum, mint, and lime beneath the champagne—is its modern descendant for more advanced drinkers. Use bubbles you would also drink on their own: the cube hides nothing. Looking for more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Serve it as an aperitif before a festive dinner: the bubbling cube immediately gives you something to talk about. Avoid a good demi-sec—the sugar is already in the cube, so choose dry champagne instead.
The cognac-to-champagne ratio
One centiliter of cognac to nine centiliters of champagne: that is the entire calculation, and the 1-to-9 ratio is deliberately modest. The cognac should provide a warm base, not take center stage. If you add 2 cl, the mousse disappears noticeably faster and you mainly taste the spirit. The sugar cube with four to five dashes of Angostura provides the rest: sweetness, bitterness, and the bubbling effect. If you use a 30 cl flute, 9 cl of champagne also leaves enough room to top it up gradually.
Champagne Cocktail, French 75, or Kir Royal
Three classics with bubbles, three very different builds. The Champagne Cocktail contains a sugar cube with Angostura and 1 cl of cognac; the bitters add spicy depth. The French 75 starts with 3 cl of gin, lemon juice, and syrup, which you shake first and then top up with champagne, making it sharper and more citrus-fresh. The Kir Royal is the simplest: a splash of crème de cassis in the bottom, with bubbles and nothing else. If you want something where the glass itself starts the conversation, the cube that keeps fizzing for minutes is the clear winner.
Alcohol-free with 0.0 bubbles
This cocktail is surprisingly easy to make alcohol-free because the sugar cube’s theater remains fully intact. Use a dry alcohol-free sparkling wine, omit the cognac, and keep the sugar cube with four to five dashes of Angostura. Angostura does contain alcohol, but five dashes amount to a fraction of a milliliter. If you want to avoid it as well, use an alcohol-free bitter or a few drops of non-alcoholic orange bitters. Slowly pour 9 cl of bubbles over the cube and finish with a zest, exactly as with the original.
Brut or demi-sec: which champagne should you choose
Choose brut, and keep the bottle genuinely cold, around 6 degrees. The sugar cube already contains more than five grams of sugar, so demi-sec makes the whole drink overly sweet and sticky. A brut with some ageing, recognizable by its bread-like notes, carries the bitters best. A dry prosecco or a good crémant works too, and costs considerably less without you tasting the difference in this cocktail. What you should not do is open a bottle you would not drink on its own: the sugar cube hides nothing.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Champagne Cocktail?
A Champagne Cocktail consists of a sugar cube with four to five dashes of Angostura bitters, 1 cl of cognac, and 9 cl of ice-cold champagne, finished with an orange or lemon zest. The cube sinks to the bottom and continues releasing bubbles for minutes, giving the cocktail its characteristic theatrical effect.
What combinations go well with champagne?
Champagne pairs well with citrus, liqueur, and fruit. Well-known examples include the French 75 with gin and lemon, the Kir Royal with crème de cassis, the Mimosa with orange juice, and the Bellini with peach. Always keep the bubbles dry: brut champagne or prosecco provides the best balance.
What is a cocktail with champagne and orange juice?
That is the Mimosa: equal parts chilled bubbles and fresh orange juice, nothing else. It is traditionally served at breakfast or brunch. For more depth, choose the Champagne Cocktail with cognac and Angostura; the same festive bubbles, but with bitter and woody notes added.
Which glass do you serve a Champagne Cocktail in?
In a coupe or a flute. In a flute of around 30 cl, you can watch the sugar cube fizz for the longest, while a 20 cl coupe creates the classic Roaring Twenties look. Choose clear crystal, because the spectacle at the bottom is half the experience: see our champagne coupes.
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