Summer serves: Prince of Wales

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Photograph: Joakim Blockstrom

Photograph: Joakim Blockstrom

In the second of our series of light, bright cocktails to match the season’s weather, Amanda Baxter suggests a zesty twist to the classic Champagne cocktail.

The Prince of Wales cocktail was actually created by HRH King Edward VII himself. A king with authentic ties to Berry Bros. & Rudd, he awarded us our first royal warrant, of which we now boast two (from the Queen and Prince Charles). The actual cocktail recipe itself has many incarnations depending on which author you read, but the basic idea is a welcome upgrade on the classic Champagne cocktail; there is of course sparkling wine (in this case Crémant de Limoux), Angostura bitters and sugar, but also whisky or Cognac and some sort of liqueur.

In this version the lemon zest adds zing to the drink, bringing it up to date for the summer. The orange liqueur then enhances the lemon notes and the Cognac adds a bit of punch. If you want to impress friends, garnish with a long thin peel of lemon, wrapped round the handle of a wooden spoon to create a spiral and dropped in before serving.

Prince of Wales
  • Brown sugar cube
  • One lemon
  • Angostura bitters
  • 12.5ml Cognac
  • 12.5ml orange liqueur
  • Berry Bros. & Rudd Crémant de Limoux

Rub one brown sugar cube with lemon zest, then coat with three dashes of Angostura bitters. Drop the sugar cube into a Champagne flute. Add 12.5ml Berrys’ Cognac and the same of orange liqueur. Top with Crémant de Limoux.