The Premier Mixed-Drink Compendium

That would be The Bartender's Guide, first published in 1862. It was in that first edition, where the recipe for the perfect champagne cocktail first appeared. It's simple, but magnificent at the same time. {We enjoyed these at our Easter brunch on Sunday.}

There are only three ingredients...

Sugar Cubes
Bitters
Champagne

And the instructions are as elementary: Place a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne glass and saturate it with 2-3 splashes of bitters. Fill the glass with bubbly and enjoy!
Cheers!