The cocktail traditionally made with stout and Champagne is the Black Velvet.
The drink is widely said to have been created at Brooks’s Club in London in 1861, after the death of Prince Albert. The story holds that the club’s steward wanted even the Champagne to reflect the period of mourning, so stout was added to it.
A Black Velvet is usually made by pouring chilled stout and Champagne or another dry sparkling wine into a flute or beer glass. The dark beer and pale sparkling wine create a striking layered appearance when poured carefully, although many preparations simply combine them.
The cocktail is sometimes confused with a Poor Man’s Black Velvet, which substitutes cider for sparkling wine. It is also distinct from a Black and Tan, a beer combination made with pale ale and stout rather than stout and Champagne.