Importing and storing champagne required cash, international connections, and political goodwill. When speakeasies poured champagne, they weren’t showing off—they were advertising solvency and reach.
A high-end cocktail served with sparkling wine signaled to patrons, competitors, and law enforcement alike: this operation had money, supply, and muscle. Champagne became a cocktail of authority, a liquid balance sheet for anyone who could read it.
