Classic French 75 Gin Cocktail Recipe

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Developed in France during World War 1, the French 75 cocktail is popular once again and for good reason! It’s a deliciously tart, bubbly drink that’s ideal for any special occasion - like your next happy hour.

A French 75 is designed to be served extra cold and is a crisp, refreshing sip. I’m skipping the cocktail shaker full of ice (gasp!) for this recipe, and chilling the ingredients themselves in order to keep the cocktail cold and assembly super simple.

This requires a little prep work, including making your simple syrup and juicing a lemon ahead of time. Place both in the refrigerator next to your bubbly a few hours before your plan on making your cocktail to ensure they have time to chill. At the same time, place your gin in the freezer to make sure it’s nice and cold.

What You Need

Gin
Simple syrup
A lemon
Dry sparkling wine (prosecco, cava, champagne, etc.)

How to Make a French 75

Chill the lemon juice, simple syrup, and prosecco.

Pour the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a champagne flute or coupe glass.

Lemon juice being poured into a champagne flute

Top with chilled prosecco.

Prosecco pouring into a champagne glass.

Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

Enjoy!

Creating Variations of a French 75

A French 75 cocktail is made with gin. Since gins have very unique and interesting flavors all on their own, it’s super easy to create as many variations on a French 75 as there are gins!

You can also create variations by changing up the simple syrup used in the recipe. Try blueberry or strawberry syrup in place of traditional simple syrup for easy and unique variations on a French 75.

Don’t Miss this French 75 Variation

My Apple French 75 uses apple cinnamon infused gin and brown sugar syrup for a unique, delicious sip.

Tips on French 75 Cocktails

Do I have to use fresh lemon juice?

Yes. Grab a lemon and squeeze it. It’s so much better than bottled lemon juice and super easy to do.

What kind of Gin should I use?

I love making my French 75s with my favorite local gin, New Holland Knickerbocker. Hendrick’s Gin and Empress 1908 Gin are both unique and flavorful gins that will create delicious variations on French 75s.

How do you garnish a French 75?

A curl of lemon peel is the traditional garnish for a French 75, though you can easily skip the garnish or use a small piece of lemon, if you’d rather.

What kind of sparkling wine should I use?

Whether you choose champagne, cava, prosecco, or another sparkling wine, make sure it’s white wine and that it’s dry. Skip the moscato, spumantes, and other sweet bubbly bottles.

Where can I get simple syrup?

Make some! Combine ½ cup sugar with ½ cup hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then put the syrup in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.