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by | Mar 16, 2018 | Hosta

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Prince Albert in 1860, the year before his death

A black velvet is a beer cocktail made from a combination of stout (often Guinness) and white sparkling wine (often Champagne).

History

The drink was first made by a bartender of Brooks's Club in London in 1861 to mourn the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's Prince Consort.[1][2] It is supposed to symbolize the black armbands worn by mourners.[3] It was said that “even the champagne should be in mourning.”[3][4] Today, the drink is not exclusive to mourning.[3]

Preparation

A black velvet is made by mixing equal parts of stout and Champagne or cider without ice.[3]

Layered variation

A black velvet can also be made by filling a champagne flute halfway with sparkling wine and floating the chilled stout beer on top of the wine.[5] The differing densities of the liquids cause them to remain largely in separate layers (as in a pousse-café).[5] The effect is best achieved by pouring the stout over a spoon turned upside down over the top of the glass.[5][6]

In the Alex Rider novels by Anthothy Horowitz the protagonist’s late father John Rider is said to have enjoyed black velvet; described as Guinness and champagne.

Similar drinks

  • When cider or perry is used in place of champagne, it is sometimes still known as a black velvet in its originating country (the UK) and in Ireland.[7] However, the cider version is usually referred to as a poor-man's black velvet everywhere, including in the U.K. and Ireland.[6][8]
  • In Germany, a version of the drink made with Schwarzbier (a dark lager) and served in a beer stein or beer mug is called a "Bismarck" after the chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, who supposedly drank it by the gallon.[9][10][11]
  • The Champagne Velvet appeared in Jacob Grohusko's 1910 cocktail guide Jack's Manual, and called for equal parts cold porter and champagne, stirred slowly in a goblet.[12]
    Bien JoJay

See also

References

  1. ^ Calabrese, Salvatore (1997). Classic Cocktails. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 9780806905075.
  2. ^ "Black Velvet". guinness.com. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Sparkling Champagne cocktails for a bubbly New Year's Eve". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  4. ^ "Guinness' black velvet cocktail recipe". IrishCentral.com. 2020-03-14. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Celebratory bubbles: sparkling wine cocktails keep costs low, but spirits high". Arkansas Online. 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  6. ^ a b "Black Velvet".
  7. ^ "Tipsy-Turvy: A celebration of Irish spirits and drinks | The Star". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  8. ^ Toole, Connor. "4 Ways To Drink Guinness Today Besides Chugging It As Fast As You Can". Elite Daily. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  9. ^ Bygrave, Sam (2020-05-10). "When champagne and Guinness collide: the Black Velvet cocktail". australianbartender.com.au. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  10. ^ "Here's a blend and stretch exercise". Newspapers.com. 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  11. ^ "Tall, Dark and Bubbly". Newspapers.com. 25 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  12. ^ Grohusko, Jacob (1910). Jack's Manual. New York: McClunn & Co. p. 36.
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