A Champagne Cocktail with a little something extra. Bartender Dan Sabo slips a half-ounce of Hennessy VSOP into the mix, which the taste buds detect not so much for its flavor, but for the added kick and body it brings to the drink. Further finessing the recipe is a bright accent of orange bitters.
Dan Sabo’s Champagne Cocktail
Dan Sabo, Paligroup | Los Angeles

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1/2 ounce VSOP Cognac (chilled), preferably Hennessy
- 1 raw brown sugar cube
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Champagne, preferably Perrier Jouët Brut NV, to top
Garnish: expressed lemon peel, horse's neck lemon peel, brandied cherry
Directions
- Dash the bitters onto the sugar cube before placing it in the chilled flute.
- Add the Cognac.
- Top with Champagne.
- Garnish with an expressed lemon peel (discarded), a long horse's neck lemon peel and a brandied cherry.