This was the preferred concoction of Gertrude Niesen, an actress and singer and frequent patron of Manhattan’s Stork Club in the 1930s and ‘40s. It’s a hell of a drink—like the prickly cousin of a Long Island Iced Tea—but if you cut out the vodka and go heavy on the Champagne as Dear Irving’s Tom Richter does in his updated version (see Editor’s Note), it turns into a lovely French 75-esque cocktail.
Niesen Buzz Bomb
Adapted from The Stork Club Bar Book (1946)

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 ounce cognac
- 1 ounce Bénédictine
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce lime juice
- Champagne, to top
Directions
- Add all ingredients except Champagne to a mixing glass and mix with ice.
- Strain into a highball glass and top with Champagne.
Editor's Note
Updated Version | Tom Richter:
1 1/2 ounces cognac
1 ounce Bénédictine
3/4 ounce lemon juice
Champagne, to top
Garnish: lemon twist
Add all ingredients except Champagne to a mixing glass and mix with ice. Strain into a highball glass and top with Champagne, and garnish with lemon twist.