Classic French 75 Cocktail
We love champagne around here, and this French 75 combines the delicious sparkling wine with cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup. This elegant drink is an easy cocktail to make and fun to serve.
French 75 Cocktail History
We’ve got the summer Paris Olympics on our minds, so we’ve been researching the most popular French cocktails like the French Sidecar, along with Olympic-themed drinks like the World Record Cocktail and Silver Fizz Cocktail.
The French 75 cocktail recipe was invented at the beginning of the century in Paris’s legendary New York Bar (later renamed Harry’s New York Bar) and named after the mm field gun used by French artillery during WWI.
We love the simple history behind our favorite cocktails. Unfortunately, this one is not that simple. This classic cocktail recipe has actually changed many times over the years. Some stories say the original recipe was first created by English soldiers fighting in France in WWI. Using what they could find, they made the Soixante-Quinze with gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne. This is probably closest to one of the most popular versions we serve today.
Over the years, the drink went through a lot of changes; switching out champagne for soda (when not in France…), adding apple brandy (why??), and switching out the gin for cognac. Today, this is the recipe most bars will serve you. The beautiful thing is that you get to choose your preference as they are both considered to be the French 75. Called the most powerful drink in the world by the late 19th-century novelist Alec Waugh, we think you’re going to love it.
What You Need to Make the French 75
Okay, you probably now know more than you ever cared to know about this delicious classic champagne cocktail. Let’s get to making it.
- 1 oz H by HINE VSOP Cognac
- ½ oz. lemon juice
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- 3 oz. dry Champagne or sparkling wine
Scroll down to the recipe card to see full instructions.
How To Make It
Add cognac to the cocktail shaker.
Pour lemon juice and simple syrup into the shaker.
Add ice last and shake until chilled.
Immediately strain into a Champagne flute.
Top with Champagne.
Garnish with a lemon twist and serve right away.
French 75 Variations
- This cocktail is also often made with gin. Try it with Junipero Gin for a different flavor and vibe.
- We’ve also seen an Elderflower French 75 made with St. Germaine elderflower liqueur, which we can’t wait to try. I love cocktails with elderflower flavor.
- Some variations use sour mix, which we don’t recommend. The homemade sour mix we’ve used – combining fresh lemon juice and simple syrup – is super easy to make.
- The Peachy Keen subs peach liqueur for the cognac. I’m all in to try that one!
- The Tropical 75 uses coconut rum. It sounds like a pina colada with champagne. It doesn’t win me over at the sound of those ingredients mixed, but who knows?
Which one of those French 75s do you want to try next?
Frequently Asked Questions
You really want the bubbles in champagne or sparkling wine, so we don’t recommend using wine.
You can make this cocktail as strong or weak as you’d like. We loved the sweet flavor and didn’t feel it was strong at all. The sparkling wine really balances the cognac.
It really does! Some cognacs are sweet and mild, like the H by HINE VSOP Cognac we’ve used. Others have a spicy or even bitter taste, which would take away from this drink.
Tips
As always, when chilling cocktails, you want to vigorously shake but not for too long as the drink will become watered down.
Use fresh citrus or fruit. Have bottled lemon juice that will make it easier? Pour a little into a glass and compare with fresh. That should do it for you if you’ve ever considered using bottled. Blech.
The same as above goes for simple syrup. It’s sugar and water, friends. Make a small batch and it will keep for 2-4 weeks. If you’re adding fruit to make a flavored simple syrup, use it within a few days.
Prepare your garnishes ahead of time. Otherwise, your drink will not be fresh when you deliver it to your guest.
You can also serve this in champagne coupes or even over ice in a cocktail glass.
This is a fun and festive cocktail to serve at a New Year’s Eve party or special occasion celebration. We always serve cocktails with food. At our parties, we like serving Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Stromboli Crescent Rolls, Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, or one of our other delicious appetizers.
More Drink Recipes We Love
French 75 Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 oz H by HINE VSOP Cognac
- ½ oz. lemon juice
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- 3 oz. Champagne
Instructions
- Add cognac to shaker.
- Pour lemon juice into the shaker.
- Add simple syrup.
- Add ice last and shake until chilled.
- Immediately strain into a Champagne flute.
- Top with Champagne.
- Garnish with a lemon twist and serve right away.
