Champagne Cocktails - Softcover

Whether you fancy the purity of the "Classic Champagne Cocktail"--that alliance of sparkling wine and bitters that Esquire called one of the Ten Best Cocktails of 1934--or lean to the adventurous "Mrs. Beeton's Champagne Cup", the one with the fresh borage sprigs--you'll be won over by this breezy treatise. Garnishing the pages of recipes and bartender's advice (citrus twists dropped in the glass tend to dissipate the bubbles quicker; ingredients should go into the drink in ascending order of expense) is wine wisdom and witticism from such diverse sources as Thackeray and Austin Powers, Babette's Feast and Absolutely Fabulous. To be fair, some of the potions are pretty funky--one of the ingredients in a "Red Ambrosia" is Hawaiian Punch--and mixing up a "Gloria" should allow you to use up that bottle of lychee liqueur you've been saving for just the right occasion. And while there is a short chapter featuring lists of the top sparkling producers worldwide, a concoction such as the "Diabolitan" featuring aniseed, gin and liqueurs of strawberry and pear might be better-suited, budget-wise, to Cooks than Krug. Yet where else could one discover the difference between a "Mimosa" and a "Buck's Fizz" while learning how to shear the neck off a bottle with a cutlass? No matter whether you're pouring a Spanish cava, a German sekt or something French, you'll find it in the pages of Champagne Cocktails. -- Tony Mason,Amazon.com