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Developed in France during World War 1, the classic French 75 cocktail is popular once again and for good reason! It’s a deliciously tart, bubbly gin drink that’s ideal for any special occasion - like your next happy hour.
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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's in a French 75 Cocktail
- Gin - Choose your favorite gin for this recipe. 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.
- Simple syrup - Make it yourself with just 2 ingredients. Get my recipe and instructions (you can use the microwave!) over on my simple syrup recipe page.
- Lemon - Fresh citrus is the only way to go for this cocktail. Plus you need some fresh lemon peel for the garnish. You'll need no more than half of a lemon per cocktail.
- Dry sparkling wine (prosecco, cava, champagne, etc.) - Choose your favorite dry (brut) sparkling wine for this recipe. Skip the rose, moscato, spumante, and any other sweet wines.
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.
Top with chilled prosecco.
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 These French 75 Variations
My Apple French 75 uses apple cinnamon infused gin and brown sugar syrup for a unique, delicious sip. Or try my summery Blueberry French 75 with blueberry simple syrup.
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.
Happy Hour Snack Pairings
Bright, tart cocktails pair perfectly with richer snacks. Try my savory spiced nuts, whipped feta bruschetta, or bacon wrapped dates for a delicious happy hour.
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Classic French 75 Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 oz gin
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- ½ oz lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 4 oz dry sparkling wine prosecco, cava, champagne, etc.
- Lemon peel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill the lemon juice, simple syrup, and sparkling wine.
- Pour the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a champagne flute or coupe glass.
- Top with chilled sparkling wine.
- Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.
- Enjoy!
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