This Champagne Cocktail is from the picturesque cookbook, The Woodford Reserve Culinary Cocktail Tour. The brandy of the traditional Champagne Cocktail is replaced with bourbon in this version, and instead of a sugar cube and bitters it employs a sweet vanilla simple syrup. The flavor of vanilla is one of the best pairings for the taste of Woodford Reserve Bourbon and is appearing with the whiskey in many new cocktails such as this.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Woodford Reserve bourbon
- 1/2 oz vanilla syrup (recipe below)
- 4 oz Korbel Champagne
- 1/2 vanilla bean
Preparation:
- Mix the bourbon and syrup in a Champagne flute.
- Top with Champagne.
- Garnish with a vanilla bean.
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 vanilla beans
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Split the vanilla beans lengthwise into halves and place in a heatproof jar or bottle.
- Pour the hot syrup over the vanilla beans and let stand for 8 to 10 hours.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
