Recipe: Happy Youth (Champagne Cocktail)

the appetizer:

Champagne Cocktails: 50 Cork-Popping Concoctions and Scintillating Sparklers by A.J. Rathbun includes cocktail recipes like The Can Can; Happy Youth; Pensiero; and Simple Syrup.

Happy Youth

Serves 4

"Colouring her argument, she touched upon the occasion of the birth: cherry brandy poured in the kitchen at a quarter past eleven at night, she herself clapping her hands, then clasping them to give thanks." —William Trevor, Death in Summer, 1999

The point to remember, as you tipple off into the years past what one can call "youth," is that even if those joints are creaking, it's more of a roll than a jump out of bed, and staying up past midnight seems superheroic-even then, you can still capture that happy youth feeling by being silly, laughing it up, wearing a feather boa and not caring a hoot what anyone thinks, having the posse over for a series of pictures with fake mustaches, and always remembering that "youth" isn't, after all, a term stuck to a specific date, but rather one attached to a specific state of mind. Having a few Happy Youths doesn't hurt, either, when remembering how fun it is to be young.

Ice cubes
6 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
4 ounces Cherry Heering
2 ounces Simple Syrup
Chilled extra-dry rosé sparkling wine (see Note)

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the orange juice, the Cherry Heering, and the simple syrup. Shake youthfully.

2. Strain the mixture into four flute glasses. Top each with the sparkling wine and serve .

A Note: I like the just-a-tad-less-dry-than-brut extra-dry rosé here, but it sure wouldn't be bad with brut sparkling wine (even non-rosé) either. I think the rosé is awfully youthful, though.