Bubbles. They instantly lift the spirit. Sometimes, however, you want bubbles, but you want something a tad more complex than a glass of champagne. Enter the Seelbach. On New Year's Eve, and on a subsequent visit to Pouring Ribbons in the East Village, I kept asking for champagne-based cocktails. There are many, but I was specific -- no citrus. At one point I received the Seelbach cocktail, a lovely concoction that carries the name of the hotel in Lexington, Kentucky where it was created.

Seelbach Cocktail
1 oz. bourbon
1/2 oz. Cointreau
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Champagne

Stir ingredients over ice, then then strain into a chilled flute and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.