Episode 135: The Champs-Elysees

Mar 16

Ep. 135 Lost for over 75 years: The Champs-Elysees

Welcome to Season 8 episode 135 of The Art of Drinking with Join Jules and Your Favorite Uncle

In this episode of The Art of Drinking, Uncle Brad and Jules uncover the remarkable origin story of the Champs-Élysées cocktail, a sophisticated cognac cocktail that quietly entered cocktail history in 1925—even if it took nearly seventy-five years for bartenders to rediscover it.

The story begins with the unlikely partnership behind the cocktail book Drinks Long and Short, written by American novelist Nina Toye and British food critic A. H. Adair. Their book captured a moment in London dining culture and introduced readers to elegant cocktails designed to complement the experience of a meal rather than dominate it.

Brad and Jules explore who Nina Toye really was—an author of supernatural fiction, a contributor to Vogue, and one of the rare women of her era to place her name on a cocktail book, notably above her male co-author. Her perspective offers a fascinating glimpse into how cocktails were often framed not just as drinks, but as part of a broader culture of entertaining and hospitality.

The episode also follows the thread to celebrated French chef Marcel Boulestin, whose influential London restaurant Restaurant Boulestin helped shape the culinary context behind the book. The drink recipes associated with the restaurant—including the Champs-Élysées—were less about strict bartender technique and more about creating the right atmosphere for a table, a season, and a gathering.

Named after the famous Parisian boulevard Champs-Élysées, the cocktail captures a mood as much as a flavor. Its elegant blend of cognac, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice, sugar, and bitters reflects the layered sophistication of early 20th-century European cocktail culture.

After fading from popularity for decades, the Champs-Élysées cocktail was rediscovered during the craft cocktail renaissance of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when bartenders began revisiting historic cocktail books and reviving forgotten classics.

In this episode:

The origins of the Champs-Élysées cocktail
The story behind the 1925 book Drinks Long and Short
Who Nina Toye was and her influence on cocktail writing
The connection to chef Marcel Boulestin and London dining culture
Why the cocktail disappeared—and how it was revived

Perfect for fans of classic cocktails, cognac drinks, cocktail history, Green Chartreuse cocktails, and the craft cocktail revival.

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The History of the Champs-Élysées Cocktail

The Champs-Élysées cocktail first appeared in the 1925 cocktail book Drinks Long and Short, written by Nina Toye and A. H. Adair. Unlike many cocktail manuals of the era, the book approached drinks from a culinary perspective, pairing them with meals and the broader social atmosphere of dining.

The cocktail itself combines cognac, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters, producing a drink that balances bright citrus with herbal depth and aged spirit complexity.

Named after the famous Parisian boulevard Champs-Élysées, the cocktail evokes the elegance of French café culture and early 20th-century cosmopolitan life.

Although the drink appeared in print in the 1920s, it largely faded from cocktail menus for decades before being rediscovered by bartenders during the modern craft cocktail revival. Today, it’s considered one of the most refined cognac-based classic cocktails, celebrated for its balance and historical intrigue.

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