The French 75 is a study in elegance — gin and lemon brightened with sugar, then crowned with champagne so the whole drink sparkles. Light, sharp, and unmistakably celebratory, it tastes like a long, slow exhale at the end of a great evening.
Ingredients
Glass
Champagne Flute
The Story
Born at Harry's New York Bar in Paris around 1915 and credited to Scottish bartender Harry MacElhone, the French 75 was named after the French 75mm field gun used in the First World War — a nod to the drink's surprising kick. Soldiers came back from leave talking about it, and by the 1920s it had crossed the Atlantic and lodged itself in American cocktail books.
It cemented its place in popular culture in the 1942 film Casablanca, where it is ordered by name at Rick's Café. Today it is a staple of brunches, weddings, and any moment that calls for a cocktail with a tuxedo on.
How We Make It
Shake the Base
Add 30ml gin, 15ml fresh lemon juice, and 10ml simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake hard for 10–12 seconds until well chilled.
Strain
Strain the chilled mixture into a chilled champagne flute or coupe.
Top with Champagne
Top up slowly with 60ml chilled brut champagne (or a quality sparkling wine). Pour gently down the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles.
Garnish
Express a strip of lemon peel over the glass, twist it, and drop it in. Serve immediately.
Variations
French 76
Cognac replaces the gin for a richer, warmer take — same brightness from lemon and bubbles, with a deeper backbone.
French 77
St-Germain elderflower liqueur joins the gin and lemon, adding a floral sweetness that turns the drink into something more delicate.
French 95
Bourbon-based variant from American bartenders — caramel and oak under the citrus and bubbles, for a French 75 with a Kentucky drawl.
Bartender Tips
Shake Without the Champagne
Never shake bubbles. Shake the gin, lemon, and syrup separately, then top with champagne after straining — otherwise the carbonation collapses.
Chill Everything
Cold glass, cold gin, cold champagne. Bubbles last longer, the drink stays sharp, and dilution stays under control.
Pick a Dry Champagne
Brut or extra-brut keeps the drink balanced. A sweeter sparkling wine pushes the cocktail into dessert territory and dulls the lemon's edge.