Perfecting the French 75, and some alternative recipes
When it comes to following the rules, drink connoisseurs fall into one of two camps - rigid or rebels.
You have those who insist that a Dry Martini should never come into contact with Vermouth. Others will tell you that an Old Fashioned should never have anything more than the core ingredients (aka no muddled fruit allowed). But where would we be if we never experimented? If we didn’t find the beauty in breaking the rules.
For one, we wouldn’t have the French 75.
An unusual cocktail in every way, it’s remarkable to plot the French 75’s origins to its place as a luxurious libation welcome at everything from wedding toasts to society soirees. It all started thanks to the war. Yes, really.
Named after the French military’s 75mm field gun used in World War I, this reinvented Tom Collins was said to have had a similar effect - the bubbles, the sour citrus, the subtle gin all having an undeniable impact.
Crafted to perfection today, it’s now elegance personified. We’re going to share how easy it is to add this to your arsenal - a nod to its origins there - and show how simple recipe tweaks can expand your library of cocktails you can conjure in a hurry. All any good host needs is a few good recipes under their belt, and this is one of the easiest ways to achieve that.
The Classic French 75 recipe
Deceptively simple despite its status as an elixir for the elite, once you’ve mastered how to pour a flawless French 75, you can expand your repertoire with some clever alternatives. But, first, attention must be paid to the classic.
First things first, what will you need? The ingredients required are:
30ml Tanqueray London Dry gin
15ml lemon juice
15ml sugar syrup
Champagne to top
Lemon twist
Ice
To make:
Hard shake your gin, lemon juice and syrup in a shaker over ice
Fine strain into a chilled Champagne flute and top with Champagne or your choice of sparkling wine
Garnish with a lemon twist
Simple enough, right? But if you want to ensure your 75 is 100% quality every time, there are a few additional techniques and tricks to observe.
Expert tips for the perfect French 75
Glassware must be chilled - and the correct kind
Champagne flutes or anything with a tall, narrow body essential. The devil is in the details, so the saying goes, and warm or inappropriate glassware isn’t just a faux pas, it can actually change the texture and flavour of your drink. A warm glass can quicken the loss of carbonation in a drink. We like Flat White Martinis, not Flat 75s.
Pop your glassware in the fridge or freezer at least 20-30 minutes before you plan on serving.
Top bartender trick: Not got enough time to chill glasses in bulk? The wet paper towel trick is a game changer. Dampen some paper towel, wrap it around your glass and pop it in the coldest part of your freezer for about 5 minutes. It should rapidly cool them.
Always use fresh citrus (make this an evergreen rule for all your cocktails)
Look, sometimes you just don’t have time to be squeezing lemons. But ask any host or bartender worth their salt rims, fresh is best. Pre-made citric juices often come with plenty of preservatives and added sugars, and unless you choose wisely, it could greatly change the flavour you’re hoping to achieve.
Top bartender tip: when we say fresh is best, we don’t mean you have to be juicing in the middle of your event. Fresh lemon and lime juice typically lasts up to four days in the fridge. Juice the night before and store in an airtight jar or container. If you’re planning on needing a large amount of juice, you could even freeze them by popping the juice into ice trays. Take them out just before the event starts and you’ll soon have juice ready to use.
Don’t forget the hard shake
No, it’s not just for show - there’s a reason the best mixologists insist on quite the shake. The hard shake - when you twist the shaker back and forth, moving your wrists so the ice rolls inside the tin rather than crashing against the ends - improves aeration, creating a softer, velvety texture that’s essential for this decadent pour.
French 75 alternative recipes
Once you’ve mastered the original, it’s time to learn a few simple ways to boost your cocktail offerings with just a few ingredient swaps.
The 75 is all about light - light bubbles, light juniper in the gin and a subtle zest of citrus. The 95 amps up the darkness, introducing notes of rich caramel and vanilla.
You’ll need:
30ml Bulleit bourbon
15ml fresh lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
60ml Champagne or sparkling wine to top
Ice
To make:
Shake your bourbon, citrus and simple syrup over ice
Strain into a flute and top with bubbles.
For those less keen on gin, a neutral base of a clean, crisp vodka allows the taste of the sparkling wine and subtle touches of citrus and sweet to really come to the forefront. You’ll need:
30ml vodka - we love a Ciroc for this
15ml fresh lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
60ml Champagne or sparkling wine
Ice
To make, just follow the process you’re used for the classic French 75. That’s the benefit of these classic recipes - one process, endless possibilities.
Top tip: Fancy really broadening your horizons? By choosing a flavoured vodka, you can experiment with different flavours and flourishes. Go with Smirnoff Vanilla, for example, for an after dinner dessert-like drink. Or a fruity flavoured vodka allows you to experiment with presentation - for example, use a raspberry flavoured vodka and you can add a skewered raspberry garnish that would look effortlessly luxe.
Throwing a garden party? The genius in this alternative is you split the sweet components and add a touch of floral flavours with something like an elderflower liqueur. You could also go try something like a rose liqueur, but be mindful that this is sometimes a dominant flavour, so use sparingly.
You’ll need:
25ml gin
15ml elderflower liqueur (if you fancy another flavour, like rose or even lavender, cut this down to about 10ml)
15ml lemon juice
10ml simple syrup
Champagne to top
Ice
Simply shake and strain as you would a French 75. For a thoughtful detail, you could garnish with the type of floral liqueur you’ve chosen, a nod to the flavours your guests can expect.
With Cognac being a grape-based spirit, it blends well with the Champagne for a surprisingly light and effervescent drink - despite being a darker, heavier spirit than the traditional gin.
You’ll need:
30ml Cognac
15ml fresh lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
60ml Champagne
Ice
To make, just like the French 75 you’ve mastered, hard shake, strain, and top with Champagne.
For something as delicate as the French 75, one might not expect it could ever work with tequila. But the Mexican 75 unleashes a whole new layer of flavour. It’s one way to serve up a classic with a real twist - perfect for summer night gatherings where the food is flowing and the temperatures stay soaring.
This one does have a few extra twists. You’ll need:
30ml Casamigos Blanco
15ml fresh lime juice (it works better than lemon)
15ml Agave nectar or honey (instead of simple syrup)
Champagne to top
Ice
To make, follow the same process you’ve now mastered.
A little top bartender tip: with the same ingredients needed for this and other French 75 alternatives, you can also add another drink to your library - The Lone Ranger. Created by bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler and served in a tall glass, the spirit is still a Blanco tequila, but you top with sparkling rosé for a pink, fizzy Collins that’s perfect for brunches and beyond. You’ll need:
45ml Casamigos Blanco
30ml fresh lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
Rose champagne or sparkling wine to top
Ice
To make:
Prep a Collins glass by filling it with chunky, cubed ice
Then, over ice, shake the tequila, lemon and simple syrup
Strain into your Collins glass and top with your rose champagne
Get inspired
The Bar Team
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