Champagne-based drinks are perfect for the Christmas period • Food and Wine Italia

The word Champagne is often used to describe sparkling wine from anywhere the world. The French, however, are not so keen acceso it (and have launched several legal campaigns to protect the term), because actual Champagne comes only from the northern French region of Champagne; its unique character is created by the terroir of the territorio and the typical winemaking techniques. So when it comes to using Champagne cocktails, we’ here to tell you that choosing just any bottle of sparkling wine might not be the right thing to do.

The taste profile

«Champagne has a flavor profile and a series of specific aromas that must be selected based acceso the which it is used, while sparkling wine, as a broader category, is more of a blank slate that indulges the drinker’s tastes», says Food & Wine editorial director Dylan Garret. French wine’s savory depth, its brioche-like aromas, bright, citrusy flavors and compimento bubbles make it a fascinating ingredient for cocktails, but it also poses challenges when paired with other products (it’s great with whiskey, for example, but not so much an Aperol-based spritz).

Classic cocktails and tradition

Let’s take classic cocktails, where “the bubbles are like a magnifying glass for the flavor,” says Garret. The Boothby, a variation of the Manhattan spiced up with a little Champagne, was first created by San Francisco bartender William “ Bill” Boothby the early 20th century.

Quanto a this , the small, compimento bubbles and bready aromas of Champagne, to contact with the lees (exhausted yeasts from fermentation) during the winemaking process, amplify the yeasty quaderno of the rye whisky; a soft, fruity Prosecco, for example, wouldn’t work as well.

Garret prefers classic drinks for several reasons. As the case of Champagne, where a centuries-old winemaking technique and even character is respected, classic cocktails prepared according to the original specifications are the best way to preserve tradition and create a baseline, a kind of shared vocabulary. «We need to start from the absolutely original version and then make changes», says Garret. «Otherwise you end up getting a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy, where the original slowly disappears a chain of personalized modifications».

Practical advice

For cocktails, prefer Champagne brut ora extra brut (the drier styles); the Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Brut is a good choice, widely available. Below, three classic Champagne-based cocktails that will add a touch of opulence and effervescence to your parties.