Pick-Me-Up cocktail

Photo by Gareth Lewis-Jones

It's the first Saturday of the month again, so we thought we'd put out another sparkling cocktail.  It's also the first Saturday after the slight easing of restrictions here in London following the third COVID-19 lockdown; if anything deserved a celebration. . .

This is a recipe from Harry MacElhone, one of the godfathers of cocktails and the eponymous Harry of Harry's Bar at the Ritz in Paris.  This recipe is in his Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails, published in 1919.

Ingredients

30 ml cognac

15 ml grenadine

15 ml fresh lemon juice

60 ml brut Champagne

Lemon twist

Method

Place the cognac, grenadine and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker and shake over ice for 10-15 seconds.

Double strain into a coupe and top up with the Champagne.  Garnish with the lemon twist.

Raise an eyebrow at the vibrancy of the colour, raise the glass in honour of ever-so-slightly-increased freedom, then raise the drink to your lips.  Pick-Me-Up?  Yes, now doesn't that feel better. . . ?