Together Again: Bubbly & Black Tie

Perhaps it's a turn in the fashion wheel after several decades of studied casualness or the influence of the decorous couple quartered in the White House, but black tie is back. People are slipping into formal threads at the drop of a cuff link and loving the effect. A host is way ahead with a black-tie bash; ritual rags create an aura of elegance and great expectations, spontaneously. Add the mystique of champagne--the only liquid refreshment you need serve--and you're home free.

Ordinarily, you'd weigh the pros and cons of the bubblies of the world before making a choice; but for a blacktie event, only the real stuff will do--the effervescent wine of La Champagne. For utter simplicity, stay with one style all night long, nonvintage brut, which is light and quite dry. More ambitiously, you can program a range of champagnes keyed to specific times and situations--from the opening toast to the farewell sip. It does take planning, but your guests will be intrigued by the idea (consult our guide on page 284 for suggestions on a champagne agenda).

Despite its delicate taste, champagne is a hardy wine that travels well. Nevertheless, it pays to shop carefully--especially when purchasing in quantity. You're better off buying from a major liquor store--the choice is broader and the bottlings will have been stored more carefully. A magnum-size container, 1.5 liters, is a wiser choice than the standard bottle; the larger size seems to develop better and adds a gala touch to the festivities. Bottlings from récoltants manipulants, grower-producers, can offer interesting opportunities, too. These are estate-bottled champagnes, generally vintage--though not necessarily so labeled, and often priced well below the grandes marques. Not too many are exported to the States; those that are usually display the code letters RM somewhere on the label, in small type.

Plan on a bottle of wine per person, plus a few extra for overachieves. To chill the champagne, half-fill a large tub (even your bathtub) with chopped ice and sprinkle it with coarse salt for extra cooling power.

You'll want distinctive fare to buttress the bubbly, sumptuous but unceremonies. Avoid the mistake common to fledging hosts--overkill. Four or five carefully selected dishes will dazzle the troops yet leave the host loose enough to enjoy his own fete. Goat's-milk cheeses (chèvres) make a tasty yet simple nosh, so you might try several types. Pair the chèvre with a generous wedge of Italian fontina--for taste and textural contrast. A side of smoked salmon is lavish and plays a neat counterpoint to champagne. Have your friendly neighborhood deli slice and reassemble the side on the skin, for elegant presentation. Frozen Alaska king crab meat is another easy-to-handle delicacy. Just defrost and serve with (concluded on page 284)Bubbly & Black Tie(continued from page 128) an aromatic dressing (1 cup mayonnaise stirred with 1/4 cup Ricard liquor, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon and a heavy dash of pepper). Provide seafood forks or picks so guests can spear crab chunks and dunk away. For something more substantial, consider a roast loin of pork or veal. Both completement champagne and offer no problems of preparation. Specialty butchers will bone, tie and season the meat for you. Serve the crab cold, the meat at room temperature. Dessert can be as simple as ripe strawberries and champange biscuits--or even jelly beans! You never know who'll drop in at a black-tie-and-champagne blast.

"Adventurous hosts can serve a range of champagnes throughout the evening...."

Playboy's Guide to Black-Tie Bubblies

Drinking brut champagne all night is certainly no deprivation, but champagne comes in a variety of styles. Adventurous hosts can serve a range of champagnes throughtout the evening--depending on the circumstances. It's an intriguing concept and would certainly add flair to your affair. Following is a list of champagnes, keyed to specific situations. Don't attempt to serve all typesl; pick the ones that work for you. Note that a range of prices is given for each category.

Welcome Drink:Blanc de blancs--light, crisp, refreshing and made only from white grapes. A good opening. Try the following: Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, Charbaut Certificate, Ayala, Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. (Prices range from $20 to $55.)

Random Sipping: Nonvintage brut--quite dry, clean, delicate and unassertive. The one to stay with all night! Go for Laurent Perrier Special Cuvée. Moët et Chandon Brut Impériale, Piper-Heidsieck Brut Sauvage, Besserat de Bellefon Réserve, Philipponnat, Lanson Black Label and Pommery et Greno, Bollinger Special Cuvée, Taittinger La Française Brut, De Venoge Cordon Bleu. (Prices range from $16 to $23.

Midnight Toast: Prestige cuvees--made from top growths in exceptional years and aged extra-long on the yeast. Some come in impresive decanters. Pick from Moët et Chandon Dom Pérignon, Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle, Bollinger R.D. Tradition (the champagne poured at the royal wedding), Bollinger Vielle Vigne, Curvée William Deutz, De Venoge Champagne des Princes, Philipponnat Clos des Goises, Perrier-Jouët Fleur de Champagne, Krug Grande Cuvée. (Prices range from $30 to $60.)

Dinner Partners: Vintage champagnes--these are products of superior years, given extra aging. They tend to be fairly substantial, mating well with appetizers, fish, shellfish and light meats. Look for Laurent Perrier, Mumm Cordon Rouge, Salon, Krug, Vve. Clicquot-Ponsardin Gold Label, Pommery et Greno, Piper-Heidsieck, Bollinger. (Prices range from $21 to $32.)

Dessert Delights: Sweet champagnes--sec. demisec or, in some cases, extra-dry. Desserts demand a sweet champagne, since they would wipe out a brut. Pick Pol Roger Dry Special--a sec despite its name; Roederer Demi-Sec--sweeter than sec; Mumm Extra Dry and Bollinger Extra Dry--both moderately sweet, fruity and balanced. (Prices range from $19 to $22.)

The last Hurrah: Rosé champagne--once deemed the drink for lovers, it is coming into vogue again. A cheerful, fruity, pink champagne is the perfect parting shot, a special way to bid guests goodbye. Check out Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé, Charbaut, Henriot, Perrier-Jouët, Roederer Cristal Rosé, Billecart-Salmon, De Castellane, Moët et Chandon Brut Impériale Rosé. (Prices range from $21 to $55).