Good Prince Wenceslaus looked round
William F. O’Connor
After a big party
Bottles seemed not nearly downed
Guests were a tad tardy
I’ll mix up this and mix up that
And serve it all up later
This liquid duck with any luck
Will earn the public’s favor.*
And so goes the genesis of that sparkling something or other which in some quarters is closely associated with the holiday season. And what might that drink be? you ask? Well, none other than Cold Duck, of course. Like many origin stories, it may not actually be true, but it is a good story nevertheless, a thoughtful monarch saving a bit of money by upcycling the leftovers. Kudos to the prince! Long live frugal governments!
The name “Cold Duck” is unforgettable and inscrutable. How can a sparkling wine have any connection, even a tenuous one, with poultry? Well, the simple answer is: “It doesn’t.” This is just one of quite a few examples of mistakes that stick to the wall like cooked spaghetti. According to Mark Singer writing in Esquire way back in 1972, a number of years earlier the beverage “was imported from Germany as Kaltes Ende, the ‘cold ends’ of the champagne [sic] and burgundy. The Ende was improperly transcribed somewhere along the line as Ente, German for ‘duck.’”1
One may be wondering where we are going with this entry. Well, first, it is seasonally appropriate. Second, in next week’s entry we will address the subject of upcycling an unappreciated beverage.
1Singer, M. “Pop Goes the Vineyard: A Report on What’s New, Light, and Inexpensive,” Esquire (June 1, 1972).
*To the tune of “Good King Wenceslas.”
Drinking Japan 