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Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail

May 9, 2008

Some critics in the 1700’s called champagne “The Devi’ls Wine”.  Here’s why… 

Dom Pérignon was originally charged by his superiors at the Abbey of Hautvillers to get rid of the bubbles since the pressure in the bottles caused many of them to burst in the cellar.

As sparkling wine production increased in the early 1700s, cellar workers would have to wear heavy iron mask that resembled a baseball catcher’s mask to prevent injury from spontaneously bursting bottles. The disturbance caused by one bottle’s disintegration could cause a chain reaction, with it being routine for cellars to lose 20-90% of their bottles to instability. The mysterious circumstance surrounding the then unknown process of fermentation and carbonic gas caused some critics to call the sparkling creations “The Devil’s Wine”.

Servings: Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
  • 1 1/2 cups strained fresh blood orange juice (from about 6 oranges)
  • 1 750-ml bottle chilled brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine
  • 8 blood orange slices (optional)

PREPARATION

  1. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons crème de cassis into each of 8 Champagne flutes or other glasses.
  2. Add 3 tablespoons juice to each glass.
  3. Fill each glass with Champagne, then stir gently.
  4. Garnish cocktails with slices of blood orange, if desired.

Written by alice · Filed Under Cocktails 

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