shaken, strained into a flute, then topped with sparkling wine, preferably Champagne. If that sounds like a Tom Collins made with Champagne rather than soda water, well, that was the idea. It was reportedly created at Harry’s Bar in Paris back in 1915 (or possibly Buck’s Club in London). By the time proprietor Harry McElhone included the recipe in his 1919 edition of Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails, the drink had been named for the deadly accurate 75mm French field gun that many credited for winning the Allies the First World War. But back up a little, and you’ll see that a similar drink was being enjoyed long before the Great War. A century or more before the French 75 came into being, a concoction called a Champagne Cup — basically, a citrusy Champagne punch — was already being widely enjoyed. By the 1860s, Britons were putting gin in their version, while Cognac was the preferred spirit in what was called the Maharajah’s Burra-Peg in India or the Napoleon in France. Meanwhile, on this side of the pond, the bitters-and-bubbles Champagne cocktail was becoming hugely popular, especially among the rough and tumble prospectors of the California Gold
Nick and Nora (Myrna Loy and William Powell) raise their glasses in The Thin Man.
Rush. It was considered a morning bracer, a lunch libation, an afternoon pick-me-up, a perfect partner for the evening’s entertainment and, as cocktail historian David Wondrich writes, the drink you would choose as “one more for the road and another to greet the dawn.” And really, what’s not to like? Champagne — or, if you’re on a budget, sparkling wine — is crisp, dry, complex and effervescent. It’s low enough in alcohol to be a good session drink, and it is a perfect base for subtle flavours — a splash of citrus, a dash of bitters, just a touch of spirits or liqueur. It’s a guaranteed party in a glass.
CIVILIZATION DAWNS
Cocktail historian David Wondrich describes the Champagne cocktail as, “The first evolved cocktail on record.”
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