BY DALE DEGROFF
Citrus, honey, caramel, brioche
Full of old-school glamour, this is an ideal dinner-party aperitif. Serve it with canapés, shrimp, and a relish tray.
Dale DeGroff, the godfather of the Craft Cocktail Movement, created this modern riff on the brandy drinks of yore while working at Joe Baum’s New York restaurant, Aurora, in 1985. Designed as a tribute to the Champagne cocktails once served at the Paris Ritz, it has the telltale signs of a straightforward classic: classy, subtle, and full of sparkle. Most who taste it have no idea that the backbone of this drink is cognac, a French brandy that gained wild popularity in America at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
¾ ounce (22 ml) brandy (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
½ ounce (15 ml) Cointreau
¼ ounce (7 ml) maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
¼ ounce (7 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 ounces (60 ml) chilled Champagne (or crémant)
Orange twist, for garnish
Stir the ingredients, except Champagne, with ice and strain into a martini glass. Top with Champagne and garnish with an orange twist on the rim of the glass.