The Barbowhatever is a strong champagne cocktail with orange liquor and brandy. Part of my 6 easy champagne cocktails that together use only 9 ingredients.
Once in Philadelphia on vacation, I ordered one of the champagne cocktails off of a menu in a restaurant. It was called a Barbotage. I *loved* it. When I got home I immediately looked up what was in it. I wound up confused. I found some recipes that seemed like they might be what I had (champagne spiked with orange liqueur and brandy). But others had no spirits but did have bitters, and still others had orange juice and grenadine.

The Barbowhatever Cocktail
The Champagne cocktail recipe that I’m sharing with you today is as close to the one I had in Philly as I can get. I’m not sure if it’s authentically a Barbotage or not, so I’m calling it a Barbowhatever. When something’s this good it doesn’t matter what you call it, right?
My version has orange liquor (like Cointreau), brandy, and a squeeze of lemon juice. These get shaken over ice and poured into a glass. I’ve used a brandy snifter for mine. Then, you pour in your champagne or sparkling wine of choice, add a couple ice cubes and a orange slice, and enjoy!
This is a pretty strong champagne cocktail, just to warn you. It makes for a great after-dinner drink. If you like something on the weaker side, use a bit more bubbly.
More Champagne Cocktails
This recipe is part of my New Year’s Eve series “6 Easy Champagne Cocktails, 9 Simple Ingredients”. Get the list of nine ingredients here.
Another one of my favorite champagne cocktails is the Sparkling French Martini. You should give that one a try, too!
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The Barbowhatever – An Easy Champagne Cocktail
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This is a pretty strong champagne cocktail. It makes for a great after-dinner drink. If you like something on the weaker side, use a bit more bubbly.
Ingredients
- Ice cubes
- ½ oz. orange liqueur (like Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
- ½ oz. brandy or cognac
- Fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup of sparkling wine
- Orange slice, for garnish
Instructions
- Put 8-10 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Add the orange liqueur, brandy, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Put the lid on and shake it, baby.
- Pour it into a brandy snifter. Pour in the sparkling wine.
- Add a couple more ice cubes and the orange slice. Sip slowly.

Steve Linnell says
Barbotage – a method of pain control that involves repeatedly withdrawing and reinjecting a small quantity of cerebrospinal fluid in the space surrounding the spinal cord – not really sure how this relates to a champagne cocktail!!