Place the sugar cube with 2 dashes of bitters in a large Champagne glass, add the cognac. Pour gently chilled Champagne. Garnish with orange zest and maraschino cherry.
A recipe for the cocktail appears as early as "Professor" Jerry Thomas' Bon Vivant's Companion (1862), which omits the brandy or cognac and is considered to be the "classic" American version.[1]Harry Johnson was one of the bartenders who revived the model by adding other fruit to the mix.[2]