The French 75 is a classic cocktail that consists of Gin, Champagne, and Lemon Juice. It’s origins are debated, but most people agree it was invented sometime in the late 19th-early 20th century. The cocktails first published appearance was in the mixology book, Harry’s ABC Of Mixing Cocktails by Harry MacElhone.
Being such a simple and classic drink, it was the first thing I decided to make after buying these beautiful champagne flutes by Luigi Bormioli. I do find champagne cocktails to be great party drinks as they look beautiful, and are a nice change from the usual plain champagne or sparkling wine.
Some recipes for the French 75 cocktail call for sugar or simple syrup. While you don’t need to add it, I think it balances the acidity of the lemon juice and the kick of the gin quite nicely. For this recipe I added about 10 ml of simple syrup, but you can go more or just leave it out entirely.
The garnish is a twist of lemon peel and to go with the elegance of the glass, I wanted to make it as long and thin as possible. I basically peeled an entire lemon and then used a fine knife to slice off just a thin strand. That was then curled around a wooden spoon handle while I mixed the rest of the drink.
Of course, garnishing with a real lemon means that you should use freshly squeezed lemon juice. I double strain the juice, once through a sieve and then again through a cheesecloth to get it as clean as possible. Of course, it is really quite difficult to remove all traces of lemon from the juice.
French 75
Equipment
- Champagne Flute
Ingredients
- 60 ml Champagne or sparkling wine
- 30 ml Gin I used London Dry, but you can go with a more herbal if you desire
- 15 ml Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 10 ml Simple Syrup If you don't want to make simple syrup, add a tsp of confectioners sugar to the gin and stir it before adding the gin to the glass.
Instructions
- In a shaker mix together the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with some ice. Shake hard. Strain the contents into a champagne flute
- Add the champagne to the flute and give the glass one stir.
- Garnish with a delicate lemon peel twist. Serve
