Brooks's Club, London, 1861.
| 2½ oz · 75 ml | STOUT | |
| 2½ oz · 75 ml | CHAMPAGNE | 12 % |
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
| Pre-batch | 0 oz mixed with ice, 0 oz of it pure alcohol |
|---|---|
| Melt | Stirred: +15 % of the pre-batch, +0 oz of water |
| Topped | Poured after the melt, kept whole: stout 2.5 oz, champagne 2.5 oz, +0.3 oz of alcohol |
| Served | 0 + 0 + 5 = 5 oz in the glass, 0.3 oz of it alcohol |
| Strength | 0.3 ÷ 5 = 6.0 % ABV as served |
| Ethanol | 0.3 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 7 g · about 49 kcal from the alcohol alone |
FROM STOUT · the bitterness in hops
The bitter compound in beer, formed when alpha-acids from hop cones isomerize during the boil. IBU (international bitterness units) measures it directly. Without isohumulone, beer would be a mildly sweet wheat soda. Hops are what made beer storable and what gives an IPA its edge.
FROM CHAMPAGNE · the dominant grape acid
The dominant acid in grapes and the reason wine tastes sharp instead of flat. Forms crystals ("wine diamonds") when bottled wine gets cold; harmless, sometimes filtered out, sometimes left in as a mark of authenticity. Without acid, wine is sugar water.
ALSO IN Mimosa · Champagne Cocktail · French 76 · Negroni Sbagliato · Kir Royale · Kir · Death in the Afternoon · Old Cuban
Guinness and Champagne, layered. The density difference between the stout and the wine lets the Champagne sit visibly on top if poured carefully. The combination of roasted-barley melanoidins with Champagne's yeast autolysates is unusual and, once tried, memorable.
Said to have been created by the steward of Brooks's Club in London to mourn the death of Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, in December 1861. The black stout under the pale champagne stood for the black armbands of mourning. The drink remained a London club specialty through the late 19th century; modern revival largely through Irish-American bars during St. Patrick's Day promotions. The Guinness-and-champagne combination is less unpalatable than it sounds.
