champagne cocktail
with bitter sugar gems!
champagne cocktails are glorious for two reasons:
- it doesn't get any classier
- it doesn't get any easier
all that is required to make a great champagne cocktail is soaking a sugar cube in bitters and dropping it in a glass of brut champagne. you can also add a garnish of citrus zest, or a maraschino cherry if you're feeling adventurous. having recently dabbled in making sugar cubes, i was anxious to try them with bitters instead of water.
no fooling around with the diamond molds this time, because a gem shaped candy mold crossed my path. it wasn't exactly what i wanted, but it was much faster and took way less time to dry out the cubes.
the basic recipe for the cubes is to mix 8 teaspoons sugar with 1 teaspoon angostura bitters and the tiniest splash of sour cherry syrup (a dropper helped). the syrup is completely optional- they're just as good without it, and they still have that awesome pink color. once the sugar and bitters are thoroughly mixed up, press it into the mold. let dry about 12 hours, or until the cubes release easily.
my hopes weren't really high for this mold, and when they came out looking ragged, i moaned. but it didn't take long to break off any rough edges, and they look way presentable when they're crowded into a bowl face up. just drop one in your glass of champagne, and bottoms up!
happy new year!
