A sparkling drink that splits the difference between a Manhattan and a Champagne Cocktail: bourbon and triple sec laced with a startling fourteen dashes of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, lengthened with cold Champagne and lifted by an expressed orange twist. That double dose of bitters cuts sharply against the wine's effervescence, so the glass drinks far drier and spicier than its pale, bubbling look promises.
Garnish: Orange Peel
Built · Flute · Up
build
In a chilled flute, combine the bourbon, triple sec, Angostura bitters, and Peychaud's bitters.
top
Top with cold Champagne and stir gently to combine.
express
Express an orange twist over the surface.
garnish
Drop the orange twist into the glass to garnish.
Adam Seger devised the drink in 1995 while serving as restaurant manager at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville. To go with it he spun a period pedigree, a tale set between 1912 and 1917 in which a honeymooning couple's Manhattan and Champagne were accidentally poured together. That invented legend followed the cocktail for years until 2016, when Seger came clean in a New York Times story that he had made up both the recipe and the romance behind it.