Ingredients
Drink
- 30 mlgin
- 15 mlfresh lemon juice
- 10 mlsugar syrup
- champagne or dry sparkling wine, to top
- ice for shaking
To serve
- a chilled flute
- a long lemon twist
Directions
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, squeezed shortly before making the drink. Squeeze it gently rather than pressing hard, which extracts bitter oils from the pith.
- Use a simple syrup of equal sugar and water rather than granulated sugar. Granulated sugar will not dissolve properly in a cold drink.
- Adjust the syrup down rather than up if in doubt. Now the rule about the champagne. Shake the gin, lemon and syrup hard with ice for ten to fifteen seconds.
- Shake it properly, since a citrus drink needs aeration and dilution to come together. Strain it into a chilled flute. Chill the glass and the champagne thoroughly beforehand.
- Warm champagne foams over when poured into a drink and it goes flat immediately. Pour the champagne in slowly, down the inside of the glass.
- Pour slowly, since the lemon juice makes it foam up dramatically and it will overflow. Let the foam subside and top up again. A decent dry sparkling wine works well and few people would notice.
- Use something brut rather than sweet, since the drink already has syrup. Twist a long strip of lemon peel over the surface to release its oils, then drop it in. Serve it immediately, while it is cold and still lively. It goes flat within ten minutes and it is not a drink to nurse.
Technique
- It is named after the French 75mm field gun of the First World War.
- Whether it should be gin or cognac is genuinely unsettled.
- Never shake the champagne; it always goes in last.
Substitutions
- Cognac in place of gin, which is the other tradition.
- Any dry sparkling wine in place of champagne.
Variations
- Made with cognac, as in New Orleans.
- Served in a collins glass over ice.
- French 77, made with elderflower liqueur.
History
Popularised at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris during the First World War, named after the French 75mm field gun.
Frequently asked questions
What is French 75?
French 75 is a cocktail from France: gin, lemon and sugar lengthened with champagne. Popularised at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris during the First World War, named after the French 75mm field gun.
How long does French 75 take to make?
French 75 takes 3 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in French 75?
Yes, within limits. Cognac in place of gin, which is the other tradition. Any dry sparkling wine in place of champagne.
What is the most important thing to get right in French 75?
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, squeezed shortly before making the drink. Squeeze it gently rather than pressing hard, which extracts bitter oils from the pith.
