The French 75 is a cocktail of gin, lemon juice, sugar and champagne: a gin sour lengthened with bubbles and served in a flute. It is an official IBA cocktail and one of the most elegant classics there is, with a decidedly inelegant name. It comes from the French 75 mm field gun of the First World War, because, the story goes, it hits just as hard.
Here is the IBA recipe with measures, how to make it without flattening the champagne, where the name comes from and what changes if you use prosecco or English sparkling wine.
The IBA recipe
- 30 ml gin
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml sugar syrup
- 60 ml brut champagne, well chilled
- a lemon peel to garnish
The structure is simple: a sour base (gin, lemon, sugar) that gets shaken, and champagne added only at the end, straight into the glass.
How to make it
- Chill the flute in the freezer or with ice and water, then empty it.
- Add gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup to a shaker with ice. Not the champagne.
- Shake hard for 10–12 seconds.
- Strain into the chilled flute, leaving the ice behind.
- Top with champagne, pouring slowly down the tilted side of the glass to keep the bubbles.
- One gentle turn with a bar spoon, then twist the lemon peel over the glass.
Champagne never goes in the shaker: shaken in a closed tin it blows the lid off and loses all its fizz.
Why it's called the French 75
The canon de 75 was the most famous piece of French artillery in the First World War: light, fast and deadly. The cocktail borrowed the name because it packs the same punch. It looks like a light, elegant fizz, but there is a measure of gin behind the bubbles.
Tradition ties it to Harry's New York Bar in Paris, during and just after the war. The exact history is muddled: the first recipes printed under the name "75", in the early 1920s, were a different drink, with calvados and absinthe. The gin, lemon, sugar and champagne version appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930, where it was served in a tall glass over cracked ice. The iceless flute came later, and it is what the IBA specifies today.
Champagne, prosecco or English sparkling?
The recipe calls for champagne, but the drink works with any dry sparkling wine. What changes:
- Brut champagne: the classic. Dry, with bready notes that talk to the juniper.
- Traditional-method sparkling, such as English sparkling wine or an Italian Franciacorta: same method of making the bubbles, same result, often at a kinder price. The best substitute.
- Prosecco: fruitier and often sweeter, especially in the "extra dry" style. It works, but cut the sugar syrup to 10 ml or the drink turns cloying.
Whatever you use, it should be brut and very cold. A lukewarm sparkling wine goes flat the moment it meets the rest of the drink.
French 75 vs Gin Fizz: cousins, not twins
Same base, gin, lemon and sugar, shaken. What changes is the top-up, and that changes the drink:
- Gin Fizz: topped with soda. Drier, more refreshing, lighter.
- French 75: topped with champagne. More aromatic, more festive and stronger, because the champagne brings its own 12%.
If the Gin Fizz is the afternoon drink, the French 75 is the one you raise a toast with. A more distant relative is the Tom Collins, which builds the same base in a tall glass over ice with soda.
How strong it is
Less than the name suggests, more than it looks. Between the gin and the champagne it reaches around 14% ABV in the glass, a little more than wine. It comes to about 150 calories: roughly 70 from the gin, 40 from the champagne and the rest from the sugar.
Variations
- With cognac. In some cities, New Orleans above all, the French 75 is made with cognac instead of gin. Warmer and rounder, less citrusy.
- With prosecco. Fruitier, as above: less syrup.
- Niro 75. Our Mediterranean take: GIN NIRO, agave syrup, lemon juice and sparkling Zibibbo instead of champagne. Recipe and measures in the Niro 75.
Mistakes to avoid
- Bottled lemon juice. The lemon is half the drink: always squeeze it fresh.
- Champagne in the shaker. Never. It goes into the glass, at the end.
- Too much sugar. With a sweeter sparkling wine, cut the syrup.
- A warm flute. The French 75 is served without ice: the cold has to be in the glass and the bottles.
Which gin to use
A gin with clear citrus, because the drink is built on lemon and bubbles. A juniper-heavy gin holds up but comes across harder; a citrus-forward, Mediterranean gin locks onto the lemon and the freshness of the champagne. GIN NIRO, a Sicilian gin built on Zibibbo grapes and a bold citrus profile, was made for drinks like this one. For what makes a gin citrusy, see our guide to citrus gin.
To make it: discover GIN NIRO, the Sicilian craft gin made with Zibibbo grapes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a French 75?
Shake 30 ml gin, 15 ml lemon juice and 15 ml sugar syrup with ice, strain into a chilled flute and top with 60 ml of brut champagne.
Why is it called a French 75?
After the French 75 mm field gun of the First World War: the drink, people said, hits just as hard.
What is the history of the French 75?
It is traditionally linked to Harry's New York Bar in Paris around the Great War. The gin-and-champagne version appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930.
Can you make a French 75 with prosecco?
Yes. It comes out fruitier and sweeter, so cut the sugar syrup to 10 ml. A traditional-method brut is the closest substitute for champagne.
What glass is a French 75 served in?
A chilled flute, without ice. Historic versions were also served in a tall glass over cracked ice.
How strong is a French 75?
Around 14% ABV in the glass, and about 150 calories per drink.
