Prince of Wales

Save the good bottle. Between 45 ml of rye, maraschino and bitters, a fine champagne has nothing left to say for itself. A dry cava or cremant costs a third as much and does the job asked of it, which is lift and a little length.

At 45 ml, yes, and that spice is the entire reason it's rye. A soft wheated bourbon vanishes under the wine and leaves something vaguely sweet behind. If bourbon is what you own, pick a high-rye mash bill so there's some pepper left to find.

Room for one large cube, which keeps it cold without anyone stirring the life out of it. A flute holds bubbles better but takes no ice, so it's warm by the halfway mark. Big bowl, big cube, and the aroma has somewhere to collect.

Harry Johnson's version muddles a piece of pineapple into the base, and with ripe fruit it's a real improvement, rounding off the maraschino and adding body. Muddle a small chunk with the rye, strain the solids out, and only then pour the wine.

A classic Prince of Wales calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Rye whiskey, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Maraschino liqueur, 2 dashes Angostura Angostura bitters, 60 ml (2 oz) Champagne. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Prince of Wales is roughly 27% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Prince of Wales is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.