On the Bubble

Can you keep a secret? Because it’s the holiday season we’ll trust you. Bartenders around the country are now making cocktails with champagne. While it may sound like sacrilege to wine snobs, the versatile sparkling wine adds elegance, depth and a fizzy kick to a mixed drink. (It’s also not a new trick. A number of classics, like the French 75 and Kir Royale, call for champers.) Top off a glass of punch with bubbly or try it in a recipe that normally calls for club soda. Champagne also mixes very well with liqueurs like St-Germain and Dubonnet. But it can be used in more complex creations as well. We asked two top New York City bartenders, Kenta Goto of famed Pegu Club, and Lynnette Marrero of new bar Rye House, for their favorite champagne drinks. You’ll never look at a champagne flute the same way again.

La Fleur de Paradis

Contributed by Kenta Goto

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Gin (Plymouth)
• .5 oz Lemon juice
• .5 oz Grapefruit juice
• .75 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• .25 oz Simple syrup
• Dash orange bitters
• 1 oz Brut champagne (Perrier-Jouët)
• Garnish: Edible pansy flower
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:
Shake all ingredients, except for champagne, with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne and garnish with an edible pansy flower from a gourmet food store. (You can leave it out if you can’t find one.)

Santa Maria

Contributed by Lynnette Marrero

INGREDIENTS:

• .5 oz Honey syrup (one part water, one part honey)
• .5 oz Lemon juice
• 1.5 oz Zacapa Rum
• 1 oz Brut champagne
• Garnish: Star anise pod
• Glass: Flute

PREPARATION:
Shake all the ingredients, except for champagne, with ice. Strain into a flute. Top with champagne and garnish with a star anise pod.