Drinks

Harry’s Pick-Me-Up

October 28, 2022 by Jennifer

Have you noticed that over the past few years, certain food and beverages have been getting their own special days? I’m not kidding. There are even websites listing all the different days and which food, sweet treat or drink should be celebrated. Some items are so popular in fact, they have several days during the year. How can one food or drink be celebrated multiple times? Easy, you’ll have a national day, an international day, and maybe even a world day. Champagne is one such drink.

See, today is World Champagne Day. Not to be confused with National Champagne Day which is December 31st. (That one makes sense since everyone grabs a bottle or two with which to ring in the new year.) So, of course just like all the other special food and drink holidays, I wanted to get in on this one because I absolutely love champagne! I’ll drink it straight, with a sugar cube, or in a variety of spritz forms. (Okay, those are made with prosecco, but it’s still alcoholic bubbles, so I’m including it.) There was only one problem with this plan: finding a vintage champagne cocktail that I hadn’t posted yet.

I know that doesn’t seem that hard, but believe me, it was. See, since I’m such a big champagne fan, I’ve actually posted several classic champagne cocktails from the Kir Royale to the Death in the Afternoon (fitting since Halloween is only a few days away). So, finding a vintage recipe that included even a splash of the bubbly elixir was tough! But then I discovered a whole slew of champagne cocktails known as the Royale cocktails. I know you’ve heard of the Kir Royale, but according to Punch, around the turn of the century, lots of cocktails were getting the royale treatment from the cobbler to the julep. But then Harry Johnson decided to stop replacing the classic liquors in his patrons’ favorite cocktails with champagne, and instead simply add a splash to the finished tipple. Not only did barflies lap up the idea (see what I did there), they couldn’t get enough. I mean, who can blame them. Bubbles just make a drink more festive and who doesn’t like a party?

Once I discovered this trend, I knew finding a cocktail with champagne in it wouldn’t be hard. But I didn’t want to just give you a classic champagne julep or martini. Anybody can do that. No, I wanted to find a classic champagne cocktail that was just as popular as all those others but something completely new at the same time. And guess what? I did just that. As a matter of fact, I found several thanks to both the internet and several classic cocktail books. Since Harry Johnson was the one who turned the champagne trend on its head, I decided to share his Pick-Me-Up with you today for two reasons. First and foremost, it’s got champagne to celebrate World Champagne Day. But secondly and more important, it’s got a brandy base which is perfect for these chilly fall days that are finally upon us.

While brandy is often considered an after-dinner drink, I love brandy before or during dinner as well. Made from distilled fruit juices, brandy isn’t as strong as some of the other classic liquors we all love to imbibe. While it’s often made with grapes, there are apple brandies, pear brandies, peach, apricot… you get the picture. If it’s made with fruit, it’s probably a brandy, and must be labeled as such. Those fruits give the liquor a warmer flavor and just feel like fall to me. Adding a little champagne makes a delightful cocktail that’s both warm and festive at the same time. Not only is it a great option for World Champagne Day, it would be a nice alternative to that plain old glass of champagne we all sip on New Year’s.