Illustration: Miguel Covarrubias for Vanity FairRegular readers know I have a soft spot for champagne cocktails. In this I follow Alfonso XIII of Spain, the man in the gray jacket in the illustration. After leaving his throne for the sake of his continued health in the 1930's, Alfonso spent much of his adult life touring the great hotels of France and Italy. He had some reputation as a dandy and a man who liked his champagne in the bar at the Ritz beginning around noon.
In that latter at least he was following in his father's footsteps. One of the classic champagne cocktails was invented for King Alfonso XII at the Deauville hotel in Normandy. Herewith, the Alfonso:
Mix a sugar cube, a dash Peychaud’s bitters and 20ml Dubonnet in a champagne flute. Top with cold champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.
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7 comments:
Hi, Will.
Alfonso XIII of Spain is the man in the brown suit in the illustration, not the one in the gray jacket.
Greetings from Spain.
Perfect timing! I'm having a mildly-Spanish themed dinner party tonight and besides starting with a nice, crisp Cava, I couldn't think of an easy cocktail du soir. The Alfonso will be perfect. Gracias!
One of his favorites hotels in France was Le Palais in Biarritz.If any of you has the chance to pay to this French hotel a visit you will see by yourself why he liked it that much
Will - have you seen Truth About Charlie yet? I too always drink a champange cocktail - and love Flute in NYC for this reason - I am very frustrated when handed a Kir Royale, say instead of the correct cocktail - I'm not requesting a cocktail which generally has champagne (duh)... you know?
Netflix has sent The Truth About Charlie and it's in line behind Frost.
Will, where did you get this illustration? It's quite excellent.
Will,
The next time you're in New York, you should make your way to The Bourgeois Pig in the East Village. They specialize in champagne cocktails and the ambiance is lovely.
http://www.bourgeoispigny.com/
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