French 75
Gin, lemon and sugar topped with dry sparkling wine. Bright and festive, and stronger than it tastes.
- MethodShaken
- GlassChampagne flute
- IceNone (served up)
- Strengthabout 13.1% ABV
- BaseGin, Wine & aperitivo
- Tasterefreshing, sour, strong
Recipe
| 30 ml 1 oz | London dry gin |
| 15 ml ½ oz | Fresh lemon juice |
| 15 ml ½ oz | Simple syrup (1:1) |
| Top up: 90 ml 3 oz | Dry sparkling wine (champagne-method or similar) |
Garnish. A long, thin strip of lemon peel, twisted over the glass and laid in it.
Method
- Chill a flute.
- Shake the gin, lemon juice and syrup with ice for about 10 seconds.
- Strain into the flute.
- Top slowly with cold sparkling wine and add the lemon peel.
About the French 75
The French 75 is a gin sour topped with sparkling wine instead of soda. It is crisp, lemony and celebratory, and the wine makes it go down faster than its strength suggests. Some bars make it with cognac; gin is the version first printed under the name.
History
Earliest record 1927: Judge Jr., Here's How, New York
Documented
The name refers to the French army's 75 mm field gun of the First World War. In the early 1920s, Robert Vermeire and Harry MacElhone printed a "75" cocktail made with gin, calvados, grenadine and absinthe or lemon, a quite different drink. The combination of gin, lemon, sugar and champagne under the name French 75 first appears in Here's How by "Judge Jr." (New York, 1927), and The Savoy Cocktail Book (London, 1930) helped spread it.
Legend and lore
It is often said to have been invented by MacElhone at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, or by American airmen in France during the war. Neither claim is supported by a contemporary recipe.
Variations
- Cognac 75. Cognac in place of gin, a version long favoured in New Orleans.
- Tom Collins. The same base served long over ice with soda water.
- Kir Royale. Another sparkling wine classic: crème de cassis topped with champagne.
Bartender's notes
- Strain the gin mixture in first and pour the wine after, slowly, so it does not foam over.
- Use a dry (brut) sparkling wine; a sweet one makes the drink cloying.
