Champagne Plus

What the cocktail is to the end of the office day, champagne is to the end of the year. Cast champagne as the principal ingredient in a cocktail and you have a drink of absolutely unrivaled éclat.

As a sparkling status symbol whose pedigree is no less prestigious than that of the crowned heads of Europe, champagne has no peer among potations. Bubbly - be it pale gold or pink - can turn a breakfast or a banquet into an opulent occasion. On New Year's Eve, it is delightfully de rigueur for bidding fond farewells or relieved good riddances to the departing twelvemonth.

Only those who've never tried it will shy away from mixing champagne with other potables. To argue, as some obstinate purists do, that because champagne is the most glamorous of all wines, it should never be part of a mixed drink is like remonstrating that since lobster is the most delectable seafood known to man, it should never be made into lobster newburgh or thermidor. The fact is that in matters bubbly the converse holds true; because champagne radiates its own gilt-edged glory, the drink into which it's poured becomes gloriously exciting for toasting the new year.

Of mixed champagne drinks, only a very few like Black Velvet (a half-and-half blend of champagne and stout) radically alter bubbly's taste. In all the other punches, cups and cocktails, the original fruity bouquet of the wine - its champagniness - remains steadfast in spite of any new witchery that's added. For this reason your best bet for champagne mixmanship is to buy one of the good nonvintage bruts. If you're going the domestic route, simply remember that the charm of the New York State type lies in its similarity to the hearty richness of the Concord grape, while the California champagnes coincide in flavor more nearly with the classic European varieties.

If you're hosting a New Year's Eve champagne (concluded on page 144)Champagne Plus(continued from page 59) party, you'll want to serve food appropriate to that electric air that always seems to fill a room after the soft popping of the cork -- iced Beluga caviar, rich pâté de fois gras, and paper-thin slices of prosciutto ham wrapped around lengths of Christmas melon. You can depend on champagne, when it's poured, to upstage not only all other drinking but the dining as well. Only a swallow is necessary to make everyone feel like echoing Dom Perignon's exultant exclamation that he was "drinking stars."

All recipes are for one drink.

[recipe_title]Playboy's champagne old fashioned[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]Brut champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. Grand Marnier[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. Forbidden Fruit liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 slice lemon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash orange bitters[/drinkRecipe]

Into a frosted old fashioned glass, pour bitters and liqueurs. Fill glass with ice-cold champagne, stir very gently and launch with lemon slice.

[recipe_title]Cordial medoc cup[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. cordial medoc[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. cognac[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 slice of orange[/drinkRecipe]

Shake cordial medoc, cognac, lemon juice and sugar with cracked ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with large pieces of cracked ice. Fill with champagne. Place orange slice on top.

[recipe_title]French 75[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 1/2 ozs. cognac[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced champagne[/drinkRecipe]

Shake cognac, lemon juice and sugar with cracked ice. Strain into highball glass filled with large piece of cracked ice. Fill to rim with champagne. For collins fans, gin may be substituted for cognac.

[recipe_title]Champagne Manhattan[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. whiskey[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 oz. sweet vermouth[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash bitters[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Brandied cherry[/drinkRecipe]

Stir the whiskey, vermouth and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a pre-chilled champagne glass. Add cherry. Fill glass with champagne.

[recipe_title]Melba cocktail[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. Himbeergeist (raspberry brandy)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Frozen raspberries thawed[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Raspberry sherbet, hard frozen[/drinkRecipe]

Pour Himbeergeist and champagne into pre-chilled champagne glass. Drop a raspberry into the glass. With a fruit baller, scoop out a single small ball of the sherbet. Float it on top of champagne.

[recipe_title]Sparkling galliano[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. Liquóre galliano[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Cucumber rind[/drinkRecipe]

Pour liquóre galliano and lemon juice into pre-chilled champagne glass. Stir. Cut cucumber rind lengthwise. Each piece should be about 1 1/2 in. long and 1/2 in. wide. Drop cucumber rind into glass. Fill with champagne.

[recipe_title]Champagne noyaux[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. crème de noyaux[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Jordan almonds[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 slice lime[/drinkRecipe]

Place almonds, for as many drinks as you think you'll make, in a saucepan with cold water. Bring to a boil. Drain. Slip off almond skins. Place almonds in a pan in a moderate oven pre-heated at 370°. Toast for about 15 minutes or until almonds are light brown. Avoid burning. Pour crème de noyaux and lime juice into pre-chilled champagne glass. Stir. Add a toasted almond. Fill glass with champagne. Float lime slice on top.

The pleasantly champagned expressions of approval from those guests who have come to grapes with the subject at hand should be enough to assure you that the blends justify the means.