French 75 & Variations

A coupe glass filled with a pale yellow cocktail, garnished with a curled lemon peel on the rim. Bar tools, lemon, and ingredients hint at creative French 75 variations in the background.

Susannah Brinkley Henry

The classic French 75 cocktail — a champagne drink made with gin or vodka, lemon and simple syrup — is a sophisticated, beautiful and versatile cocktail. Substitute the alcohol to make one of its many variations: the French 76, 77, 95, 125 and .45.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 0

Total Time 5

Servings cocktail

Calories 217kcal

Author Susannah Brinkley Henry

Ingredients

Classic French 75

2 ounces London Dry gin see notes for variations
½ ounce simple syrup plain or flavored
½ ounce lemon juice fresh-squeezed
3 ounces champagne brut, chilled
lemon twist for garnish

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine gin, simple syrup and lemon juice. Shake vigorously.
Strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne.
Garnish with a lemon wheel or twist. Serve immediately.

Notes

Try one of the many variations on this cocktail by substituting the classic gin for other spirits:

French 76: vodka
French 77: gin and elderflower liqueur
French 95: whiskey
French 125: cognac
French .45: brandy
Mexican 75: tequila

Simple syrup swaps: You can also substitute a flavored simple syrup to dress up your French 75. Try an herbal syrup like lavender or rosemary, or a fruity one like strawberry or passion fruit.

Always let the bottle of champagne chill well before you plan to use it. Cold champagne will make the flavors of your French 75 much better and will keep the drink crisp and cold! The carbonation of the champagne will also be bubblier when it is cold.

Serve each cocktail immediately after pouring. This is best practice to keep the champagne bubbly and the cocktail cold.

Nutrition

Find more recipes at feastandwest.com