French 75 — jlkm.net

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OriginFrench/American, WWI-era classic

Active5 min

Total5 min

EquipmentCocktail shaker, jigger, fine strainer, chilled champagne flute

Method

SHAKEN + TOPPED

Shake, then top -- no stir after

Ice

STANDARD

Shaker only -- the champagne stays neat

Dilution

~15%

10-12 sec shake, no ice in the glass

Glass

FLUTE

Champagne flute, chilled

	1 · SHAKE	2 · FINE STRAIN	3 · TOP	4 · GARNISH
2 oz ≈ 59 mL gin	Into the shaker. Fill with ice, shake hard 10-12 sec.	Fine strain into the chilled flute. No ice in the glass.
3/4 oz ≈ 22 mL fresh lemon juice	Into the shaker with the gin.
1/2 oz ≈ 15 mL simple syrup (1:1)	Into the shaker with the gin.
to fill ice, cubed	Fill the shaker.
~3 oz ≈ 89 mL brut champagne, well chilled	Hold it back -- it never sees the shaker.		Tilt the flute, pour slowly down the wall to fill.
1 strip lemon twist	Cut a strip, set aside.			Express over the top, drop it in.

1 · SHAKE

2 · FINE STRAIN

3 · TOP

4 · GARNISH

2 oz ≈ 59 mL gin

Into the shaker. Fill with ice, shake hard 10-12 sec.

Fine strain into the chilled flute. No ice in the glass.

3/4 oz ≈ 22 mL fresh lemon juice

Into the shaker with the gin.

1/2 oz ≈ 15 mL simple syrup (1:1)

Into the shaker with the gin.

to fill ice, cubed

Fill the shaker.

~3 oz ≈ 89 mL brut champagne, well chilled

Hold it back -- it never sees the shaker.

Tilt the flute, pour slowly down the wall to fill.

1 strip lemon twist

Cut a strip, set aside.

Express over the top, drop it in.

Protein

Produce

Dairy & Egg

Pantry & Grain

Spice & Seasoning

Liquid & Fat

Notes

Chill the flutes and the champagne well ahead. There is no ice in the glass to compensate for a warm pour -- everything that keeps this cold has to be cold before you start.

Top slowly, down the side of the glass. Pouring champagne straight into the center of a shaken, slightly sugary base foams over fast. Tilt the flute and pour along the wall.

No ice in the glass is intentional. The shake already chilled and diluted the gin-lemon-syrup base. Ice on top just waters down the champagne for nothing.

Brut, not sweet. The syrup and lemon already set the sweetness. A demi-sec or sweet sparkling wine pushes the whole drink candy-sweet.

Cognac is the other classic base. Some houses build this with cognac instead of gin, closer to the Ritz Paris version -- same ratios, same method, just swap the spirit.

Adapted Classic, dating to WWI-era Paris and generally credited to Harry MacElhone at Harry's New York Bar, Paris, c. 1915 -- named for the punch of the French 75 mm field gun. https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/216/french-75