Chicago Cocktail
ClassicA brandy old-fashioned given a sugar rim and a champagne crown.
Spirit-forward and dry. Cognac and orange liqueur give it a warm, brandied core, bitters add spice, and champagne lifts the finish while the sugar rim rounds each sip. Richer and boozier than most sparkling cocktails — a nightcap that happens to have bubbles.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Cognac
- 0.5 oz Orange Liqueur
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Champagne to top
- Sugar rim · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Moisten the rim of a chilled coupe and dip it in sugar.
- 2
Stir the cognac, orange liqueur, and bitters with ice until well-chilled.
- 3
Strain into the prepared coupe.
- 4
Top with champagne.
The Story
The Chicago Cocktail dates to the early 20th century and appears in the Savoy and other pre-Prohibition manuals — a brandy drink built like a spirituous old-fashioned, then finished with a sugar rim and a splash of champagne to dress it for the evening. It belongs to that era's love of fortifying a stirred spirit with bubbles, a template that produced the Seelbach and the Chicago's many cousins.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
