French 75 recipe
Gin, lemon, sugar, and champagne — named after a field artillery cannon because it hits that hard.
Method: Shake ·
Glass: Champagne flute or coupe ·
Time: 3 min ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Family: The Sidecar Family
Ingredients
- 1 oz London Dry Gin (or cognac for the original)
- 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
- 3 oz Champagne or Dry Sparkling Wine (brut, well-chilled)
How to make a French 75
- Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
- Shake briefly — about 10 seconds. You don't want it too diluted.
- Strain into a champagne flute.
- Top slowly with champagne.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Garnish
Lemon twist.
Pro tip
Don't use expensive champagne — the gin and lemon will overpower the subtle flavors anyway. A decent Cremant or Cava works perfectly. Also, shake the gin portion short — you're adding cold champagne on top, so you don't need as much dilution from the ice.
History of the French 75
Created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris (later Harry's New York Bar). Named after the French 75mm field gun used in World War I because the drink was said to have a kick like being shelled. The original recipe used cognac; gin became standard later.
Flavour profile
Effervescent, Citrus, Elegant, Dry
Variations
- French 76 — Use vodka instead of gin
- Cognac French 75 — The original — use cognac instead of gin
- Airmail — Use rum, honey syrup, and champagne
Practise making the French 75 in the free Virtual Bar game.