Champagne Pick-Me-Up
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.1% ABV ∙
The Champagne Pick-Me-Up is a brunch-style sparkling cocktail of Cognac, fresh orange juice, and grenadine topped with dry sparkling wine. Citrus and brandy warmth lead, grenadine adds a faint berry sweetness, and the sparkling wine lifts the finish dry and effervescent — a lively morning-after reviver.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice: Cognac 30 mlOrange juice 45 mlGrenadine syrup 10 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Top with Dry sparkling wine
Tips
- Shake the cognac, orange juice, and grenadine hard with ice for about 10-12 seconds, then fine-strain into the flute to avoid pulp and shards of ice.
- Chill the sparkling wine and flute beforehand, then top the shaken mix gently to preserve carbonation instead of pouring it in fast.
- Add the sparkling wine last and stir just once with a bar spoon so the mousse doesn't collapse before serving.
- Measure the grenadine carefully since even a small excess overwhelms the fizz-to-juice balance in this fairly low-ABV build.
History
The Champagne Pick-Me-Up belongs to a style bartenders of the era called the cocktail royale: a spirit-based drink topped with a restrained pour of Champagne, a category that took hold in the American-style bars of Paris and London during the 1920s and 1930s. Most accounts trace this particular recipe to Harry's New York Bar in Paris, crediting proprietor Harry MacElhone with creating it in the mid-1920s; a French-language history of the drink further dates it to 1925 and links it to MacElhone's 1922 cocktail book, "ABC of Mixing Cocktails." A rival attribution, followed by bartender Dale DeGroff in his 2008 book "The Essential Cocktail," instead credits the Ritz Bar in Paris with the drink, placing it there around 1936. The name reflects the broader use of "pick-me-up" for a restorative morning drink, a term already used for hangover cures and bracing cocktails since the 19th century, applied here to a Champagne-topped brandy-and-juice mix served in the same Parisian expatriate bar scene that produced other cocktail royales like the Chicago Cocktail and Prince of Wales.
FAQ
What is in a Champagne Pick-Me-Up?
Cognac, fresh orange juice, and grenadine syrup, shaken and topped with dry sparkling wine in a flute. It's about 11% ABV and roughly 159 calories per serving, and it's vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Is a Champagne Pick-Me-Up shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The Cognac, orange juice, and grenadine need a hard shake to combine and chill properly before the sparkling wine is added on top; that part is never shaken, just poured in gently to preserve the bubbles.
What glass is a Champagne Pick-Me-Up served in?
A flute glass, which keeps the sparkling wine's bubbles rising longer than a wider glass would.
What alcohol can I mix with champagne or sparkling wine?
Cognac is a classic pairing, as in this drink, but sparkling wine also mixes well with gin, elderflower liqueur, or a fruit liqueur like cassis. The choice depends on the style: fruitier liqueurs make a lighter aperitif, while a spirit like Cognac gives a fuller-bodied, brunch-style cocktail.
What is a good champagne cocktail for brunch?
The Champagne Pick-Me-Up is built for that moment, combining Cognac and fresh orange juice with a touch of grenadine under dry sparkling wine. It sits alongside other brunch classics like the Mimosa, but the Cognac and grenadine give it more body and a rounder sweetness.
