First off, Happy Champagne Friday!!! We have all successfully made it through another week and WE think that is grounds for celebration!

If you want to dress up your Friday bubbles, but still want it to taste like sparkling wine, a classic Champagne Cocktail is the perfect solution. This simple yet chic cocktail is always well received. Our first memory of this classy glass is of post-shopping lunches with our parents in San Francisco's Neiman Marcus Rotunda Restaurant. They would always start off the lunch with this festive drink. We were, of course, too young (darn!) to partake in the toast back then, but the fond memories have stayed with us. The classic way to make this cocktail is to add a few drops of Angostura aromatic bitters to a bought sugar cube, and pour in the bubbles. Our house never has sugar cubes on hand (who's does?) so we decided one day to make our own. On a whim, we tried adding the bitters to the sugar mix and they turned out splendidly! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do and create your own fond memories.

Cheers!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Aromatic Bitters Sugar Cubes

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon Angostura aromatic bitters (or specialty bitters like Bar Cart Cocktail Co. Summer Bitters)

Silicone sugar cube tray (found here on Amazon)

1. In a bowl, combine the sugar and 1/2 of the bitters. Mix until the bitters are evenly distributed and all sugar is colored. Add more bitters as needed. You want the sugar to be damp, not wet.

2. Pack the sugar mixture into the silicone cube tray.

3. Microwave for 30 second intervals until hot and steamy. (All microwaves are different but we usually cook ours for two 30-second intervals).

4. Let cool and dry.

Store your cubes in an airtight tin or baggie.

Champagne Cocktail

Makes 2 cocktials

1 bottle brut sparkling wine chilled (such as Charles Ninot Blanc De Blancs which is a tasty basic, whose flavor is enhanced by the additions below)

2 champagne flutes

2 lemon peel twists

2 or more aromatic bitters sugar cubes

1. Add 1-2 aromatic bitters sugar cubes to each flute

2. Slowly fill the flutes with sparkling wine. The sugar cubes will cause the sparkling wine to fizz extra so pour slowly to make sure there are no spillage!

3. Top with a lemon twist

4. Cheers!