Cocktail de champagne

After living for a year in Paris and drinking Wine almost exclusively, I all but lost my taste for Liquor. Once back in New York, however, I quickly discovered that when people socialize at bars in the late afternoon/early evening, they often want drinks that are slightly more fun than a glass of Wine. That, and the house Red is rarely comparable to the Cotes du Rhone I'm accustomed to ordering in Paris. However, I find most American cocktails too sweet to drink happily. And I'm still not a Beer drinker.

I decided to take matters into my own hands, though, and start experimenting with cocktails myself. I decided to try a Champagne Cocktail, taking the recipe from Seduction and Spice, a wonderfully evocative Aphrodisiac cookbook. I made a couple of changes, as is my way, substituting Cognac for Brandy and using a Spanish Sparkling Wine, Cava. The recipe was very basic and, I thought, quite tasty. It's also a great way to cover up not-so-good Champagne. I would certainly order it in a bar, though probably only an upscale one. And now I have an almost-full bottle of Angostura Bitters. Any suggestions?

Cocktail de champagne

(makes 1 cocktail)

1 teaspoon Granulated Sugar

2 drops Angostura Bitters

3/4 cup Sparkling Wine

1 splash Cognac

1 slice Orange

Swirl together Sugar and Bitters in a Champagne glass until Sugar is dissolved. Add Sparkling Wine and Cognac. Garnish with Orange slice. Enjoy!