Cognac, shaken
Ritz
Barline Q,h,q,q,3,2,cfo
The code is the shorthand off my printed menu; the Key tab decodes every letter.
- 3/4 oz Cognac
- 1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur
- 1/4 oz Demerara syrup
- 1/4 oz Lemon juice
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 oz Champagne
Shake hard with ice, then strain.
Coupe, flamed orange twist.
Taste
Three-quarters of an ounce of cognac, half an ounce of maraschino for the sweet and the cherry, a quarter each of demerara and lemon, three dashes of Angostura. Shaken, then two ounces of Champagne, so the wine is the biggest pour in the glass. Coupe, flamed orange twist. Dry and bubbly, cherry and bark over a little brandy, with burnt orange on the surface.
History
Dale DeGroff built a Ritz Cocktail at Aurora in New York in 1985, later printed in The Craft of the Cocktail (2002) as a tribute to the Ritz drinks of Paris and Madrid: three-quarters cognac, half orange liqueur, a quarter each of maraschino and lemon, topped with Champagne, and a flamed orange twist. This menu keeps the small cognac, the maraschino, the lemon, the Champagne, and the flamed twist. It drops the orange liqueur and adds a quarter of demerara and three dashes of Angostura. The printed menu left the Champagne off, and it came back in 2026, because three-quarters of an ounce of cognac is DeGroff's measure for a drink with two ounces of wine on top.
Same shape, other bottles
The Sparkling family, with the bottle that changed.
- Old Cubanaged rum and lime juice for cognac and lemon juice
- Air Mailaged rum and lime juice for cognac and lemon juice
- Queen Beevodka and elderflower liqueur for cognac and maraschino liqueur
- French 75gin and simple syrup for cognac and demerara syrup
- Seelbachbourbon and orange liqueur for cognac and maraschino liqueur
- Champagne Cocktailwithout lemon juice and maraschino liqueur
This is one drink on my home bar's menu. Tick the bottles you own and the menu lists which of all 185 drinks they pour.