Brazilian 75 recipe
Cachaça replaces gin in this vibrant, effervescent South American twist on the classic French 75.
Method: Shake and strain ·
Glass: Chilled champagne flute ·
Time: 4 min ·
Difficulty: Beginner ·
Family: Modern Classics
Ingredients
- 45 ml Cachaça (unaged or light aged)
- 22.5 ml Fresh lime juice (tart and freshly squeezed)
- 15 ml Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
- 60 ml Sparkling wine (dry prosecco or brut champagne)
How to make a Brazilian 75
- Add cachaça, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake vigorously for about 10 to 12 seconds until thoroughly chilled.
- Fine strain the mixture into a chilled champagne flute.
- Top gently with dry sparkling wine and give a brief, delicate stir to combine.
Garnish
Garnish with a thin lime wheel or a twist of lime peel resting on the rim.
Pro tip
Choose an unaged, artisanal cachaça with grassy and tropical fruit esters to cut through the acidity of the lime and the sweetness of the syrup. Pour the sparkling wine slowly down the inside wall of the flute to preserve maximum carbonation.
History of the Brazilian 75
The French 75 originated during World War I, named after the potent 75mm French field gun, originally combining gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne. In contemporary craft bartending, bartenders frequently experiment with regional spirit substitutions. The Brazilian 75 adapts this iconic formula by substituting cachaça—Brazil's national sugarcane spirit—for gin. While modern producers and tropical cocktail advocates popularised this effervescent riff to showcase cachaça's grassy sugarcane complexity, the exact genesis of replacing gin with cachaça remains part of the broader evolution of modern 75 variations rather than an officially documented historical milestone.
Flavour profile
Tart, Grassy, Effervescent, Citrusy
Variations
- Caipirinha 75 — Muddle fresh lime wedges and raw sugar directly in the shaker before adding cachaça and topping with sparkling wine.
- Tropical Brazilian 75 — Add a barspoon of passion fruit liqueur or purée to the base shake for an exotic fruit dimension.
Practise making the Brazilian 75 in the free Virtual Bar game.