French 75
Gin, lemon and sugar topped with sparkling wine. Sharp, fizzy and festive.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Flute
- Strength
- 1.9 UK units
How to make a French 75
- Chill the flute. Put the flute in the freezer for 10 minutes, or fill it with ice and water while you shake.
- Shake the base. Add the gin, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake for about 10 seconds, until the tin is cold.
- Strain into the flute. Tip out the ice water, then strain the base into the flute. It should only come about a third of the way up.
- Top with sparkling wine. Pour the wine in slowly, down the side of the glass, until it is nearly full. The foam should settle at the rim.
- Add the twist. Twist a strip of lemon peel over the top, then drop it in.
- Glass
- FluteNo flute? A coupe or a small wine glass.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- Lemon twistOr: A cocktail cherry dropped in the glass.
What you need to make a French 75
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Vegetable peelerFor wide strips of peel with little pith.
Bottles we'd use
- ProseccoA dry (brut) prosecco keeps the drink sharp rather than sweet.Find it on Amazon
- London dry ginSomething juniper-led, such as Beefeater or Tanqueray.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The French 75 story
It is often linked to Harry's New York Bar in Paris around the First World War, and named after the French 75 mm field gun. Early printed recipes vary, and some use cognac rather than gin, so the true origin is hard to pin down.
It is basically a Tom Collins with the soda swapped for sparkling wine. Keep the base short and strong, and add the wine slowly so it holds its fizz. Champagne gives a drier, toastier finish; prosecco is fruitier and cheaper, and works well.
French 75: your questions answered
What is in a French 75?
A French 75 is made with 30 ml London dry gin, 15 ml fresh lemon juice, 10 ml sugar syrup and 60 ml Champagne. Garnish: lemon twist.
Is a French 75 shaken or stirred?
A French 75 is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a French 75?
Made to this recipe, a French 75 contains about 1.9 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a French 75 in?
Serve a French 75 in a flute. No flute? A coupe or a small wine glass.
