Have Mercy, It's the Ninth Day of Christmas!

As is the case with the history of the Martini, the progress of Champagne has been from sweet to dry, which is why a Champagne termed Extra Sec ("extra dry") is actually sweeter, technically, than Brut ("raw"). Imbibers of bubbly in the 19th Century assumed that Champagne would be sweet, but gradually tastes changed -- dare one say, became more sophisti…