French 75
Soixante Quinze · 75 Cocktail
Gin, lemon juice and simple syrup topped with champagne: a crisp, citrusy, lightly sweet sparkling cocktail.
- 12.8% ABV
- Shaken
- 3 min
- Flute
- citrusy
- bubbly
- refreshing
- dry
- IBA official cocktail · Contemporary Classics
about 1.1 standard drinks (US, 14 g of alcohol). Estimated after dilution with ice.
Ingredients
- 1 ozLondon dry gin
- ½ ozSimple syrup
- ½ ozFresh lemon juice
- Top up withChampagneServe well chilled. A brut style suits the lemon and syrup best.
Ice: No ice
Method
- Chill a champagne flute by filling it with ice water or placing it in the freezer while you prepare the drink.
- Pour 30 ml London dry gin, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml simple syrup into a shaker filled with ice cubes.
- Shake well for about 10 seconds, then empty the flute and strain the mixture into it.
- Top up with about 60 ml chilled champagne, pouring slowly to keep the bubbles, then stir gently to combine.
Tips
- Add the champagne last and pour slowly down the inside of the tilted flute so the drink keeps its fizz. Stir only once, gently.
- Prosecco can replace champagne in the same quantity for a lighter, fruitier drink.
- Cognac is used instead of gin in an established French 75 variation; the current IBA recipe specifies gin.
Swaps
Missing something? These swaps change the taste a little but keep the drink balanced.
- Simple syrup → Cane sugar syrup
- Champagne → Prosecco
History
The French 75 takes its name from the French 75 mm field gun of World War I. Its exact origin is disputed, and early printed recipes from the 1910s to the 1930s vary in their ingredients. The gin, lemon, sugar and champagne version is the one the IBA lists today.
Published