And the Morn Shall Be Filled with Cocktail: The Champagne Cocktail's Start + 4 Cocktail Recipes

For some, winter signifies the anticipation of ski trips and memories of Asti Spumante commercials (what a jerk!) For others, it means hard-won-physique-covering-puffy-coats and rising for work in the dark/returning home in much of the same. Here are some things to be thankful for:

1. It doesn't snow in L.A.
2. You Tube exists
3. The earlier to dark, the earlier to drink

In this spirit, we explore the versatility of the first-ever "evolved cocktail" invented in the 1850's, called the Champagne Cocktail. As champagne is considered a socially acceptable AM libation -- bellinis, mimosas, straight no chaser -- we thought it prudent to stress that the Champagne Cocktail was termed a "morning bracer," about which the following verse from the era elucidates:

Matt Verzola

Glam

Turn the page to find the recipe for this classic bubbly concoction, plus a few twists.

Champagne Cocktail
From: Eric Alperin of The Varnish.
Makes: 1 drink

Champagne
1 sugar cube
5-6 dashes of Angostura Bitters
1 lemon peel

1. Place one sugar cube in a low, wide, glass.

2. Shake Angostura bitters over the top of the sugar cube until soaked - 5-6 dashes.

3. Fill a flute with Champagne 3/4 of the way to the top.

4. Drop in the soaked cube.

5. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Dale Degroff suggests "for a stronger drink, add a float of cognac or Grand Marnier. Eric Alperin offers these other Champagne cocktails which he says aren't necessarily variations but damn tasty:

Airmail
From: Eric Alperin of The Varnish.
Makes: 1 drink

1 oz. light rum
1/2 oz. lime
1/2 oz. honey

1. Toss lightly together with ice the run, lime and honey.

2. Strain into a flute and top with Champagne.

Note: When made as directed, the honey often forms into a giant clump in the shaker. To avoid this, combine three parts honey to one part hot water and stir together until combined.

French 75
From: David Wondrich - Esquire's resident Cocktail Historian
Makes: 1 drink

2 ounces London dry gin
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce lemon juice
5 ounces Champagne

1. Shake well with cracked ice, the gin, sugar and lemon juice.

2. Strain into a Collins glass half-filled of cracked ice and top with Champagne.

Death In The Afternoon
From: David Wondrich - Esquire's resident Cocktail Historian
Makes: 1 drink

1 1/2 ounces absinthe
4 ounces Champagne

1. Pour absinthe into a champagne flute.

2. Add Champagne until it clouds up -- approx. 4 ounces.

A tip from Dave Wondrich, "If you lack the kind of decadent friends who engage in pretentious pursuits like bootlegging absinthe, use Absente."