How to pronounce champagne in French.
Champagne
Shamp -
[slower] Champagne.
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Welcome back, friends - it's Anders.
Today we are making a cocktail called the Soyer au Champagne.
I think I said that right - probably didn't.
It looks like SOYER AW SHAMPAIN.
There's champagne in this drink because we are coming up on New Year's!
This time last year we had just crossed a 1,000 subscribers, and now we are over 160,000 subscribers - which is crazy!
So thank you, everybody, for watching these videos and joining the party.
Back to the cocktail.
This is exciting because there's bubbles from champagne and ice cream.
So it is super fun. And it's New Year's, so let's just get excited, and fun, and do fun stuff
like mix ice cream with champagne!
If you're new to the channel, hit that subscribe button for more sips, tips, and recips.
And let's ring in the new year with a Soyer au Champagne.
To le bar.
[intro music]
Before we jump into the history of this cocktail we must prep our glassware.
Take a coupe glass or a parfait glass,
and put a small scoop of vanilla ice cream - I'm actually using a tablespoon because it's just the right size.
Put that into the glass. Give it a little press so it wants to stick to the bottom of the glass.
Put that in the freezer for 15-20 minutes - or until it's nice and frosty.
Thank you.
This will help us when it comes time to make this drink. Now that that's all taken care of, we can chit-chat about the history.
Not a whole lot to say here. I don't know who came up with this drink,
but I know that it dates back as far back as the 1880s. 1888 was the furthest date I could find on this cocktail.
And allegedly, this was a favorite drink of Queen Victoria.
Which sounds impressive, but I've come to believe that Queen Victoria may not have had the greatest taste in cocktails.
Another one of her favorite drinks was malt whiskey mixed with red wine.
Now, I've never tried this combination, but it doesn't sound like something I would really enjoy.
Apparently even the people around her back then found it disgusting. But she was the queen,
so she could drink whatever she wanted. And she also loved this champagne cocktail.
And it's got ice cream in it, so I had to try it. And I tried it - the original recipe. The one that she absolutely adored.
I didn't like it, but it had potential. So I tweaked it, and I gotta say, this is a delight!
I'm not gonna say my drink's better than Queen Victoria's. It is - it's better.
So that's what we're gonna make today - the tweaked version because you deserve the best.
Now the booze.
For this cocktail, we are going to need cognac,
orange liqueur,
Bénédictine,
and champagne.
Now I chose champagne, but you can use any dry sparkling wine - just be sure that it's chilled.
The orange liqueur I'm using is Grand Marnier, and I like Grand Marnier in this drink because it is slightly richer,
and it goes really well with the cognac and the champagne.
I've seen a couple other recipes that have used curaçao - which would also be very good.
If you wanted, you could use triple sec, but it's going to be a little drier.
I would recommend the Grand Marnier for this one. Now of these four bottles,
these three were in the original cocktail. Not the Bénédictine.
Originally the recipe called for maraschino liqueur, which is a type of cherry liqueur.
And I love maraschino liqueur, but in this cocktail I found that it overpowered,
and the overall drink was just a little thin to go with the ice cream.
So I wanted something richer. So that's why I swapped in the Bénédictine.
And this is what's great about cocktails. You can take a centuries-old recipe and if it doesn't .
work for your taste, you can switch out different ingredients, you can adjust the ratios. You be the judge -
what makes that cocktail the best for you. It's all subjective.
I would recommend trying it with the maraschino. Maybe it's perfect for you.
So, I love you, maraschino, but -
- buh-bye.
Let's build.
Into a mixing glass, we're going to do all equal parts of the cognac, orange liqueur, and the Bénédictine.
So half an ounce of cognac,
half an ounce of the orange liqueur - in my case Grand Marnier,
half an ounce of Bénédictine,
and then we add ice and stir. Go ahead and stir for about 30 seconds.
Grab that glass that we prepped earlier. See - it wants to stick on the bottom.
This is going to make it easier to enjoy. We are now go ahead and pour this around your little
ice cream island. Make a moat. I like to pour a little on top too. Grab your chilled bubbles.
As always, be very careful. Don't want to lose an eye. This is not how we want to end the year.
Point it away from you, hold it tight, release the cage. 45 degree angle, twist the bottle - not the cork, and
Ta-da!
Now top this off with the champagne. It's not going to be too much - about an ounce to an ounce and a half.
When you serve this one, it helps if you have a little spoon.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Soyer au Champagne.
I made another one for Az so we could do a proper toast. Cheers!
Cheers!
Oh!
That is a delight!
It is a delight.
Mm-hmm
First sip you get the bubbles from the champagne, you get the richness from the Bénédictine,
and you're left with a nice sweet orange finish.
As the ice cream melts, it's going to get creamier and creamier, but in the meantime, it's stuck to the glass.
So it's easy to take a scoop of ice cream.
Ah - I see.
Otherwise it wants to bob around.
You don't want, like, a floating ice cream ball in there.
It's kind of like a drink and a dessert combined. Could it get any better? It can't!
This is to the new year. May it be better than the last.
Here, here. A humongous "thank you" -
truly, for helping this channel grow. Here is to a another fantastic year making delicious cocktails,
and just having a great time.
Happy New Years, and Cheers, Big Ears.
Thank you for watching! Like, subscribe, we'll see you next time!
- Happy New Year. - Happy New Year.
Buh-bye. [laughter]
Cheers!
Cheers, Big Ears!
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