Name: Carlton Banks
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Cognac (brandy); 30 ml Cherry brandy; 2 dash Orange bitters; 2 dash Boker's style bitters; 45 ml Brut sparkling wine

Ingredients

1 fl oz

Cognac (brandy)

1 fl oz

Cherry (brandy) liqueur

2 dash

Orange Bitters by Angostura

2 dash

Difford's Bokers Bitters By Bob's Bitters

1 1/2 fl oz

Brut champagne/sparkling wine (chilled)

How to make

Glassware

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.

Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

STIR first 4 ingredients with ice.

STRAIN into chilled glass.

TOP with sparkling wine.

Garnish

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Carlton Banks contains 203 calories

Alcohol content:

1.4 standard drinks
18.52% alc./vol. (37.04° proof)
19.7 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Brut champagne/sparkling wine — Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

History

Created in 2016 by Seth Brammer at Filament restaurant in Dallas, Texas (at 2626 Main St., closed in August 2017). Seth's original recipe uses the same proportions shown here but with Paul Beau VS cognac, Luxardo Sangue Morlacco, Regan's Orange Bitters, Bakers bitters and Val de Mer Brut.

Comments & Discussion

Please log in to make a comment

Nick Hopewell-Smith 19w

A surprisingly good drink. I made it a second time with Cassis instead of Cherry Brandy and it was more interesting and slightly chocolatey. Yum.

Morten Carlsbaek Premium Member 42w

Outstanding cocktail, my favorite take on a champagne cocktail , for sure better, deeper, more interesting than the traditional champagne cocktail.

I should mention that I do prefer only 1 dash orange bitter and only 1 dash booker's/bogart's bitters. And I use Merlet Soeurs Cerises Liquer instead of Herring's. Gives a more subtle cherry taste, which I prefer, so you still taste the cognac and the champagne.

Caspian Berggren Premium Member 1y

This is a fantastic Christmas cocktail. The Aromatic and Orange bitters play well with the nuttiness from the cognac, and the cherry sweetness gives it all a velvety mouthfeel. The bubbles and venous acidity balances the rich components.

JeffAlex Premium Member 1y

OK, any idea why this cocktail is named for a character from The Cosby Show?

Sean Baron 1y

Don’t you mean The Fresh.Prince?

JeffAlex Premium Member 1y

You are absolutely correct. I’ve forfeited my card declaring me an American TV pop culture maven!

Chris Brislawn 1y

A great use for that partial bottle of bubbly left over from Christmas! Using both Boker's and Angostura Orange Bitters sounded pretty heavy in a champagne cocktail, so I kept the Boker's but changed the Angostura to the lighter, more orangey Fee Bros. West Indian Orange Bitters (with Camus VSOP) and was very pleased with the results. Angostura (or maybe Bitter Truth) Aromatic Bitters might be a reasonable sub for Boker's, though, as Difford suggests below. Happy Holidays everyone!

Morten Carlsbaek Premium Member 1y

I really like this champagne cocktail, but what do you use, if you don't have Boker's bitters? Someone with some advice? I tried with one dash Scrappy´s chocolate bitter and one dash Peychaud's bitters and is was nice but too chocolate. Tried to repair with more champagne, cognac, and Heering and it didn't work. I assume it is not supposed to be a chocolate tasting cocktail...

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 1y

There's nothing quite like Boker's, but Angostura is perhaps an option.

Morten Carlsbaek Premium Member 1y

Thank you, Simon. I try with Angostura next time

Chris Jones Continue thread (1 reply)

Chris Jones 41w

Are they really worth £33?

Simon Difford Continue thread (1 reply)

Simon Sedgley Premium Member 2y

On Christmas morning, it's summer where we are. So we like to go with a Sabot or a Russian Punch. If I were in Blighty on a cold Christmas day this cocktail would be perfect.