French 75
A sparkling, citrus-bright classic that pairs gin’s botanicals with fresh lemon and chilled Champagne — named after a WWI field gun and just as sharp.
About the French 75
The French 75 is a gin and Champagne cocktail built on a simple, elegant idea: shake gin with fresh lemon juice and a little sugar, then top it with chilled sparkling wine. The result is bright and tart with a fine, persistent fizz — a drink that reads as celebratory without being cloying, which is why it’s become a fixture at brunches, weddings, and New Year’s toasts alike.
The name comes from the Canon de 75 modele 1897, the French army’s rapid-firing field gun that became a symbol of hope in the press during World War I. A Paris bartender, most likely Henry Tepe of Henry’s Bar, is credited with naming a potent gin drink “Soixante-Quinze” after the gun around 1914-15 — the kick was said to feel like being hit by artillery. The recipe wandered for a decade or two: early print versions used applejack or calvados instead of gin, and Harry MacElhone’s 1926 take added absinthe. The gin-lemon-sugar-Champagne combination recognizable today first appears in Judge Jr’s 1927 cocktail book Here’s How, and Harry Craddock later included it in The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) — both served long, over ice, in a Collins glass.
The now-familiar flute serve didn’t take over until the champagne-cocktail trend of the late 1980s and ’90s. Today most bars shake the gin base, strain it into a chilled flute, and top it gently with Champagne, though a few historic-minded bars — including Arnaud’s French 75 Bar in New Orleans — still serve variations closer to the original.
The Classic Recipe
Classic French 75 — Serves 1
- 1 oz (30ml) dry gin
- 0.5 oz (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz (15ml) simple syrup
- 3-4 oz chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine, to top
- Lemon twist, for garnish
Method
- Chill a Champagne flute in the freezer or with ice water while you prepare the drink.
- Add the gin, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard for 10-15 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain into the chilled flute.
- Top slowly with chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine to preserve the carbonation.
- Garnish with a lemon twist and serve immediately, while it’s still fizzing.
Tips for the Best French 75
- Use fresh lemon juice, always. Bottled juice flattens the drink’s signature brightness — fresh is non-negotiable here.
- Choose a dry sparkling wine. Brut Champagne or a dry Crémant/Cava keeps the drink from tipping into overly sweet territory; avoid anything labeled demi-sec or sweet.
- Add the Champagne last, and gently. Pour it slowly down the side of the glass or over a bar spoon to keep as much carbonation as possible.
- Don’t shake the Champagne. Only the gin, lemon, and syrup go in the shaker — the sparkling wine is always added after straining.
- Serve immediately. The fizz fades fast once topped, so this is a make-to-order drink, not one to batch and hold.
Popular Variations
French 76
Vodka in place of gin, for a lighter, more neutral-spirited take on the classic.
French 95
Bourbon swapped in for gin, giving the drink a richer, slightly sweeter backbone.
French 125
Cognac instead of gin — closely associated with Arnaud’s French 75 Bar in New Orleans, honoring the drink’s French roots.
Mexican 55
Tequila, lemon juice, syrup, and a dash of Angostura bitters, topped with Champagne for an agave-forward twist.
How to Serve
Glass: A chilled Champagne flute is the modern standard; a Collins glass over cracked ice is the historic alternative if you want a longer, more diluted pour.
Ice: No ice in the flute version — it’s served up. If using the Collins-glass method, fill with cracked ice before building.
Batching for a crowd: Pre-mix and chill the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup ahead of time, then top each glass with fresh Champagne at the moment of serving to keep the fizz intact.
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