I dedicate this recipe to my good friend Nathan “Shemp” Loggins. One of the rare triple threats in the hospitality industry. Nathan has worked in some of the most demanding kitchens, has years of experience behind the bar and has been in a full time sommelier and bar manager. He was the one that pointed out the importance of the sugar in these recipes. Just taking a logical look it should be obvious, being that there are only 3 ingredients in the whole cocktail. Intellectually, it is easy to forget about sugar, but just as there is good and bad, butter, eggs, and salt the same can be said of sugar and sugar cubes. All the details matter for a good bar program. Nathan recommends Woodland Foods brown sugar cubes.
Ingredients
5 oz Champagne
1 sugar cube
1 dash angostura bitters
Garnish
Lemon twist.
Glassware
7 oz champagne flute
Assembly
Place sugar cube on bar spoon. Put dash of angostura bitters on sugar cube then put cube at bottom of glass. Pour champagne very slowly as the champagne reacts explosively with the cube. Take the twist and run around the lip of the glass to coat with lemon oil and place in the cocktail.
Suggestions
I have a theory that this cocktail was invented to liven up champagne that was opened the day before. I have no history to back it up, but the sugar and bitters combination creates so much effervesce it is a good theory. Most prosecco is made to have less bubbles than Champagne, so don’t be afraid to use a good quality prosecco like Lamarca specifically for this recipe.