Seelbach
Seelbach is made with bourbon, orange liqueur, aromatic bitters and Champagne in a sparkling drink, served cold.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a Champagne flute and prepare the garnish before mixing.
Pour bourbon, triple sec and the two measured bitters into the cold flute.
Top with chilled Champagne, leaving headroom for foam.
Squeeze a fresh orange peel over the surface for its oils, then rest it against the glass.
A thoughtful finish
- Use a flute with room for the Champagne top-up and pour the wine slowly.
- Keep the carbonated ingredient cold and open it close to serving.
- Chill the serving glass as well as the mixture so the first sip stays cold.
Common mistakes
- Shaking Champagne destroys its bubbles and can force open a sealed shaker.
- Over-stirring the finished drink drives off the bubbles that give it lift.
- A warm serving glass quickly undoes the chilling achieved during mixing.
A few good questions.
What is in a Seelbach?
Seelbach is made with bourbon, orange liqueur, aromatic bitters and Champagne in a sparkling drink.
Can I scale a Seelbach for more servings?
Scale the measured base ingredients together and top each glass individually. The source leaves the top-up volume unspecified, so do not invent a fixed amount or a numeric alcohol percentage.
Should I shake the fizzy ingredient?
Add carbonated ingredients outside a sealed shaker. Follow the finishing step so the bubbles remain in the glass rather than being shaken away.
Who created the Seelbach?
The cited source credits Adam Seger in 1995 at Seelbach Hilton Hotel. The recipe-version note identifies any later adaptation.
Variations
- Another dry sparkling wine — Editorial bottle variation: use a different dry sparkling wine for the same finishing measure or top-up instruction; flavor changes, and it should not be labeled Champagne unless it is Champagne.
- Alternate citrus garnish — Editorial presentation variation: use a different fresh citrus peel or slice for aroma without changing the measured liquids; garnish quantity is not an added juice measure.
Where it comes from
1995 · Louisville, Kentucky, USA · Adam Seger · Seelbach Hilton Hotel
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Seelbach has a documented modern creator as well as a much older story that should not be repeated as fact. Difford’s Guide credits Adam Seger with creating the drink in 1995 while working at Louisville’s Seelbach Hilton Hotel. The cocktail was initially presented as a rediscovered hotel recipe from 1917. According to the same reference, Seger later acknowledged that he had invented that historical account; the admission became public in 2016. The responsible distinction is between the drink’s real modern creation and its fabricated rediscovery narrative. Bourbon, orange liqueur, bitters and sparkling wine belong to the recipe, but they do not establish an early twentieth-century origin. This directory therefore records 1995 and Seger’s hotel attribution, identifies the selected published serving separately, and treats the 1917 story as a discredited claim rather than a competing established date.
Sources
- Difford’s Guide — Seelbach Cocktail Recipe (reference) link
Strength. About 1.76 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.9% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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