Ritz Pimm's

Colin Field is the impresario behind the famed Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel, Paris. This is his take on how the drink now known as a Pimm's Cup was made before James Pimm, owner of an oyster bar in the City of London, bottled and branded his premixed version in 1832.

In a very large glass—I use a 20 oz. pilsner glass—mix the following:

1 oz. Beefeater or similar gin
1 oz. Martini Rosso
1 oz. dry vermouth, like Noilly Prat
1 oz. Martini Bianco
1 oz. Dubonnet
0.5 oz. Campari
4 drops of Angostura bitters

Drop in five cubes of ice.
Add a slice each of orange, lemon, and apple, six green grapes, a long slice of cucumber, and a generous sprig of fresh mint.
Top with equal amounts of champagne and ginger ale.
Wait a couple of minutes for the fruit to get slightly macerated and the drink to get cold.
Serve with two straws.