Gin
The Best French 75
A bright, elegant champagne cocktail with gin, fresh lemon, simple syrup, and sparkling wine, balanced for crisp citrus, botanical lift, and a dry celebratory finish.
Ingredients
- 1 oz London Dry Gin
- 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup — 1:1 preferred
- 3 oz Brut Champagne or Dry Sparkling Wine
Method
- Chill a champagne flute or coupe.
- Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker.
- Add ice and shake for 8–10 seconds, just until cold.
- Fine strain into the chilled glass.
- Top slowly with brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine.
- Gently stir once if needed to integrate.
- Express a lemon twist over the drink and garnish.
Notes
Garnish
Lemon twist
Tasting Notes
Crisp lemon, dry bubbles, and clean gin botanicals with just enough sweetness to round the edges. Light, elegant, and dangerously easy to drink.
The History
The French 75 takes its name from the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 — the French 75mm field gun that became the backbone of Allied artillery in World War I, celebrated for its rapid-fire accuracy and brutal recoil. Soldiers compared the drink’s kick to being on the receiving end of one.
The drink appears in print as early as 1915, with one of the first formal recipes published by Harry MacElhone in his 1922 Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. Its origins are contested: an early version associated with the Savoy used Cognac rather than gin, and the debate persists to this day. Arnaud’s bar in New Orleans famously serves the Cognac version and considers it the authentic original.
The gin version became dominant in American cocktail culture during and after Prohibition — gin was more available, and the botanical brightness worked well with lemon and bubbles. Both versions remain legitimate. Gin reads crisper and more herbal; Cognac richer and more vinous. Either way, the structure is the same: spirit, citrus, sweetener, sparkling wine.
Why This Is The Best French 75
The French 75 is one of those classics that looks simple on paper but lives or dies by balance. Too much gin and it becomes sharp. Too much lemon and it turns bracing. Too much sugar and the Champagne loses its snap. This version lands in the sweet spot: bright, dry, lightly botanical, and sparkling without becoming thin.
The key is keeping the base drink compact before adding bubbles. A full ounce of gin gives structure, the lemon brings lift, and the half-ounce of simple syrup keeps everything polished without making the drink sweet. Brut Champagne or a dry sparkling wine finishes the build with acidity, texture, and that celebratory sparkle.
The Build
A great French 75 should feel like a cocktail first and a sparkling wine drink second. Shake the gin, lemon, and syrup with ice, then strain into a chilled glass before topping with bubbles. Shaking chills and integrates the citrus base, while adding the sparkling wine afterward keeps the drink lively.
Pour the sparkling wine slowly down the side of the glass to preserve carbonation. Leave about 1/2 inch of space below the rim so there is room for the lemon twist and the bubbles do not climb out of the glass.
Champagne, Prosecco, or Sparkling Wine?
Champagne is traditional and gives the drink its best dry, mineral, elegant finish. That said, you do not need to open an expensive bottle. A good brut sparkling wine, Crémant, Cava, or dry domestic sparkler works beautifully.
Avoid sweet sparkling wine if possible. The French 75 already includes simple syrup, so a sweeter bottle can make the drink feel heavy instead of crisp.
Gin Choice
Use a clean London Dry gin or a balanced citrus-forward gin. You want enough juniper and botanical character to stand up to lemon and sparkling wine, but not so much that it dominates the drink.
Good styles for this drink:
- London Dry Gin
- Plymouth-style gin
- Citrus-forward modern gin
Avoid heavily floral or unusual botanical gins for your first version. They can work, but they may pull the drink away from the clean classic profile.
House Note
For a slightly drier French 75, reduce the simple syrup to 0.375 oz. For a softer, more crowd-friendly version, increase the sparkling wine to 3.5 or 4 oz. If serving at brunch or a party, keep the gin, lemon, and syrup mixture chilled in a small bottle, then pour 2 oz of the batch into each glass and top with sparkling wine to order.