(Note: this originally appeared a while ago on a previous blog, Tomatoes and Radio Wire. I reposted it because 'tis the season and if you've not had these before, you're in for a real treat.)

What is the ultimate celebratory beverage? If your answer is “Champagne!” you are only half-correct. The real answer is the classic champagne cocktail.

Champagne cocktails are a Chamberlain Christmas tradition – at the beginning of Christmas dinner, you will always find my father and uncles at a makeshift bar concocting these drinks in my grandparents’ elegant champagne coupes. While other people associate Christmas with mince pies and turkey, I think of the spicy fragrance of bitters and good cognac mixed together. I have come to love this tradition so much that when T and I got married, we served champagne cocktails at our reception.

It did take me a while to come around to them, as it is a very grown-up cocktail: booze flavoured with booze and topped with more booze. But they are a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts – the bitters and sugar bring out the fruity and aromatic qualities of the champagne and cognac. Be warned though – this is one of those drinks which you need to consume slowly, no matter how good it tastes!

A technical note; when you make this drink, you have a choice of glasses: coupes or flutes. If you are using flutes, you will need to make a batch of simple syrup for your sweetener. It is dead easy – just put equal weights of water and sugar in a saucepan, heat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved (you will feel the difference in texture on the bottom of the pan), then leave to cool. For a party of 15 people I would dissolve 150g sugar in 150ml water. If you have leftovers, it stays good for ages and is ideal for making fresh lemonade.

And lastly – because this cocktail has so few ingredients, please do not use cheap crap. I am not saying this as a snob, but because I want to save you being disappointed. I’m not talking about Cristal and Hennessy, but this is not the time to stint on ingredients. Keep an eye out for name-brand VSOP cognac (supermarkets will put this on sale around Christmastime) and bubbly you’d be very happy to drink on its own. It's the most wonderful time of the year, after all. Why not celebrate it properly?

Grandfather Chamberlain's Classic Champagne Cocktail (AKA Turbo Champagne)

Place 1 sugar cube (coupe) or a half-tablespoon simple syrup (flute) at the bottom of the glass.

Add 4-5 dashes Angostura bitters.

Add 1 tablespoon cognac.

If using the sugar cube, use a spoon or a small muddler to crush it into the cognac.

Top with champagne. (If using flutes, you will need to tilt the glass and pour slowly to ensure all ingredients combine.)