The Champagne Cocktail recipe
for your table
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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 wrote about it too. The cognac version became famous in the American bars of Paris and received its definitive luster in Casablanca: it is the drink with which Victor Laszlo toasts freedom at Rick's Café. The bubbling sugar cube at the bottom turns every serving into a small fireworks display, an effect no modern mixology can match.
The right glass
Both classics work: in a flute, you can watch the sugar cube send bubbles upward for minutes; in a coupe, it feels like drinking in the Roaring Twenties. 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 see the cube sparkling 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 together € 111,90.
The right tools
For a Champagne Cocktail, in addition to the glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a bitters bottle, and a zester for the twist. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 4 bar tools together € 101,75.
What do you use to make a Champagne Cocktail?
For a Champagne Cocktail, you need champagne. Well-known bottles include Angostura and Veuve Clicquot. On every drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
With a sugar cube soaked in orange bitters, it becomes fresher; without cognac, lighter and more elegant. The Old Cuban, with rum, mint and lime beneath the champagne, is the modern descendant for advanced drinkers. Use bubbles that you would also drink neat: the cube hides nothing. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve it as the aperitif for a festive dinner: the fizzing cube immediately gives you something to talk about. It is better not to use a good demi-sec. The sugar is already in the cube, so choose dry champagne.
Good to know
The cognac-to-champagne ratio
One centilitre of cognac to nine centilitres of champagne: that is the whole calculation, and that 1-to-9 ratio is deliberately modest. The cognac should provide a warm foundation, not take centre stage. If you pour in 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: sweet, bitter and sparkling. Anyone using a 30 cl flute will also have enough room left with 9 cl of champagne to top it up calmly.
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 provide 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 fresher with citrus. The Kir Royal is the simplest: a splash of crème de cassis at the bottom, and bubbles for the rest. 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 can surprisingly easily be made alcohol-free, because the theatre of the sugar cube remains fully intact. Use a dry alcohol-free sparkling wine, leave out 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 millilitre. If you want to avoid that too, 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, just 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 cube already contains over five grams of sugar, so a demi-sec makes the whole thing sweet and sticky. A brut with some ageing, recognizable by its bready 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 neat: the 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 cognac and 9 cl 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 are there 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 gives the best balance.
What is a cocktail with champagne and orange juice?
That's the Mimosa: equal parts chilled bubbly 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 approximately 30 cl, you can watch the sugar cube sparkle the longest, while a 20 cl coupe gives the classic Roaring Twenties look. Choose clear crystal, because the spectacle at the bottom is half the experience: see our champagne coupe glasses.
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