French 75 Cocktail
Feel a little fancy when you make a French 75! This classic gin cocktail is made delicious with freshly squeezed lemon juice, a touch of sweet simple syrup, and some lovely bubbles from champagne. While it’s pretty sophisticated, this cocktail is also delightfully simple and easy to make.
French 75
There are so many occasions that are made better with the addition of a French 75! Whether you’re cheering to the new year, hosting a dinner party or impressing guests at a bridal shower, you can always serve this classic lemony cocktail to satisfy a crowd.
What I love about serving a French 75 is how fancy and sophisticated it makes me feel… even though they’re so incredibly easy to make!
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make a classic French 75, and that includes the garnish. After all, you can never serve a proper French 75 without a lemon twist! It’s essentially the cherry on top of the sundae.
Plus, you’ll love the lemony aromatic quality the peel garnish lends to the drink with each sip you take. The only other ingredients you need are gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and champagne.
The taste of a well made French 75 is what makes it such a staple in bars across the world. It’s got a lovely lemony zest that mixes so well with the simple syrup, bubbly champagne, and gin.
Even if you don’t like gin, you might like this classic cocktail. The gin is present, but the potent flavor is tamed pretty perfectly by the mix of other ingredients. You can also add more or less of any ingredients as you see fit.
How to Make a French 75
Sip sip, hooray! Feel like the host with the most when you serve this bubbly cocktail at your next party. Or, just made one as an after-work treat for yourself and enjoy every smooth sip. You deserve it!
- Shake it up. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the proper amounts of gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake!
- Make it bubbly. Strain your mixture into a glass flute and top it off with bubbly chilled champagne.
- Garnish. Usually, I’d say that the garnish is optional, but you really should add a lemon twist to your French 75 before serving. It’s so worth the small added effort!
Tips and Variations to Try
Check out these quick and easy tips to help you make the very best French 75! This easy cocktail recipe just got even easier.
- You don’t have to use champagne. Traditionally the French 75 was designed to be made with champagne, but for the budget-conscious, dry sparkling white wine is a perfectly acceptable substitute! Another option is Prosecco since the flavor profile is the most similar to champagne.
- Store-bought or homemade? You can buy store bought simple syrup or make your own by adding equal amounts of sugar and water to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for a few minutes until you have a syrup like consistency. I’ve found that it tastes just like the store-bought stuff and is much more budget-friendly.
- Add a lemon twist. This signature garnish shouldn’t be missed out on. To make the lemon twist, cut a slice from a lemon then remove the flesh and pith so you are left with a strip. Curl the strip around a straw and pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes. Voila! You now have a picturesque lemon twist.
Cheers! Enjoy more of my favorite easy cocktail recipes.
- Kir Royale
- Cucumber Empress Gin and Tonic Cocktail
- Espresso Martini
- The Best Mint Julep
- Aperol Spritz
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Get the Recipe: French 75 Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- Champagne or sparkling white wine to top up
- lemon twists, to garnish
Equipment
- 1 champagne flutes
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup and shake vigorously.
- Strain into a glass flute then top with champagne or sparkling wine.
- Add lemon twist to garnish and enjoy!