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A French 75 is the ultimate Champagne cocktail
Dial up the glam factor this party season with a French 75 – the elegant cocktail that promises to make every occasion extra-special.
We’re all for prosecco-based sparkling cocktails like the Bellini and Aperol Spritz, but sometimes only Champagne will do. For those times (and because we’re all for #littletreats), there’s the French 75 cocktail. A cut above the mimosa thanks to its zesty combination of gin, lemon and sugar, it’s a cocktail that’s primed for the party season and any time you want to add some ‘ooh la la’ to your home bar. Need a Champagne dupe? Go for great-value, quality Australian bubbles.
How to make a French 75 cocktail
Ingredients (Serves 2)
120mL Hoshi Gin
30mL lemon juice
20mL sugar syrup
Ice cubes, to serve
Henri Laurent Champagne NV, to serve
Lemon peel twist, to serve
Method
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Shake until well combined and chilled.
- Strain the gin mixture into 2 coupe glasses and top with the Champagne.
3 Garnish with lemon peel and serve.
The story behind the French 75
A French 75 is up there in the top echelons with other prestigious cocktails such as the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Cosmopolitan. This elegant bubbly cocktail dating back to the early 1900s is the perfect summer sip, even if the origins of its name are a little bizarre. During World War I the French army’s weapon of choice was the French 75-millimetre light field gun. In 1914, a bartender at the New York Bar in Paris created a WWI-inspired cocktail the “Soixante-Quinze” aka Seventy-Five, described by some as “the most powerful drink in the world”. Popular at the Big Apple’s Stork Club – a celebrity hangout from the 30s to the 60s – and name-checked in movies including legendary 1942 film Casablanca, the cocktail certainly has its name up in lights.
The best ingredients for a French 75 cocktail
In the world of good food and drinks, France and Japan have a lot in common, including a shared passion for expert techniques and quality ingredients. That makes the new hand-crafted Hoshi Gin a perfect base for this French 75 recipe. Dry and crisp, it’s made with botanicals including juniper, coriander, star anise, galangal, and lime. Rich in character – just like the French 75 – Henri Laurent Champagne NV is excellent on its own and tops off this cocktail perfectly. If you’re not on a Champagne budget, you can still enjoy this drink – just sub in an Australian sparkling wine for a local version that’s just as delicious.
Keep bringing the fizz with these recipes
Love a pink drink? Give our Pink Gin 75 a go – as well as using pink gin, it swaps the traditional Champagne for grapefruit soda. If you’re popping the prosecco this festive season, we have plenty of cocktail ideas to help you make it even more fabulous. We’re talking Aperol Spritz, juicy mimosas and Bellinis in classic peach, frozen strawberry and lychee vanilla flavours. But the loudest prosecco cocktail out there has to be the Pornstar martini – how do you drink yours?
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