The Night They Invented Vampagne

With New Year's Eve less than a month away, the articles and items and briefs about Champagne begin. I'm also partial to Moscato d'Asit and Prosecco, but there is something to be said about the original, stately bubbly from France.

One handy Champagne trick - If you're in a restaurant and purchasing a lesser bottle of the bubbly - perhaps a Brut instead of an honest-to-goodness Champagne - order a shot of vanilla vodka on the side. Pour a quarter shot into each flute and top with the fizzy stuff. The vanilla adds just the right nose and mellowness, taking the whole experience up a notch. My name for this little less-expensive delight: Vampagne.