French 75

Happy Friday everyone!

You know what you need for your Friday happy hour?  A French 75 cocktail!  I made this cocktail recently for a friend’s birthday party and it was oh- so amazing.  Ahh!! The flavors are delightfully refreshing, perfect for a warm summer afternoon.  Sadly June gloom is hanging heavy in San Diego this month so the weather hasn’t been exactly “warm.”  However for anyone else who is experiencing the summer heat, or like us, hoping for for warmer days soon, this is the perfect cocktail for you.
The recipe for this cocktail is very simple.  It involves gin, simple syrup, lemon juice, and topped with champagne.  (Trivia: The French 75 was created around 1915 in New York City.  The name of the cocktail references a WWI era in it’s name; apparently it was thought that the cocktail was so boozy that it felt like being hit with a French 75mm field gun… Not sure I quite agree with that assessment, but it is quite alcoholic so drink slowly or share with a friend!)
The cocktail is classically garnished with a long twist of lemon.  See that instrument in the photo just beneath the lemon?  The divet in the middle is referred to as a stripper and it is used for creating long, thin, citrus peels or “twists.”  It helps if you have a nice sharp stipper and practice a few times so you can master the technique.  It’s a great bar-skill to develop so you can have fun garnishing your cocktails and impressing your friends,
I had this cocktail for the first time when we were on our road trip moving out to San Diego. We stopped by this cute little speakeasy bar on the San Antonio riverwalk and had a few drinks and wandered around for the evening.  It was lovely!  I’ve been meaning to recreate it for a while, but had the perfect excuse when our friend Joanna requested a cocktail-themed party for her birthday. (Side-note.. don’t you just love themed-parties?  I’m obsessed… Thanks Joanna!)To make the cocktail, start by combining the gin, lemon, and simple syrup with ice.  Shake well.  Pour into your glass and top with champagne.  Serve your cocktail in a tall champagne class and garnish with the lemon twist.
Enjoy!

French 75

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Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 2 oz gin
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz simple syrup use sugar:water ratio of 1:1
• Brut Champagne
• 1 lemon twist

Instructions

 

• Combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until well-mixed.
• Pour into a champagne flute. Top with champagne.
• Garnish with lemon twist.