French 75
Bubbles, gin and lemon.
Gin, lemon and sugar shaken and topped with Champagne in a flute. Fresh, sparkling and dry, it pairs the structure of a sour with the elegance of fine bubbles.
- IBA · Contemporary Classics
- Aperitif
- Shaken
- Glass
- Flute
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
30 ml
-
Lemon juice
15 ml
-
Simple syrup
15 ml
-
Champagne
60 ml
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a Champagne flute.
- Pour the gin into the shaker.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Add the sugar syrup.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake well.
- Strain into the flute.
- Top with Champagne.
- Stir gently.
The story
Origins
ProbableA plausible account, without definitive proof.
The name recalls the French 75 mm field gun of the First World War. The first known reference dates to 1915 in the Washington Herald, but it describes a different drink: gin, grenadine, applejack and lemon. In 1916 The Sphere linked it to the American bar at Ciro's in Paris, while in 1922 Robert Vermeire, the first to print it in a book, credited 'Henry of Henry's bar', probably Henry Tépé. The modern formula of gin, lemon, sugar and Champagne only appears in 1927 in Judge Jr.'s Here's How, and The Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 cemented it. The cognac version reached print in 1948 with David Embury.
Sources (2)
- Difford's Guide — French 75 cocktail history (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- IBA — French 75 (opens in a new tab) recipe
Taste profile
- Bubbly
- 4 out of 5
- Citrus
- 3 out of 5
- Fresh
- 3 out of 5
- Dry
- 3 out of 5
- Sour
- 2 out of 5