Paris, France · 1925

French 75

Also known as 75 Cocktail, Soixante-Quinze, French 75 Cocktail

A gin and champagne cocktail that hits with sharp citrus upfront and finishes with dry, bubbly warmth.

citrusbubblyginchampagnebrunchsourcelebratorycrispdryrefreshing

ABV

Difficulty

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip is bright and tart from the lemon, followed by the pine and botanical kick of the gin. The champagne fills out the middle with dry, toasty bubbles that lift the whole drink up. It finishes crisp and a little warming as the two spirits catch up with you.

Who will like it

For people who like sharp, sour drinks but want the festive push of sparkling wine instead of soda water.

When to drink

Pour this for daytime celebrations, brunches, or any time you want a drink that feels like a party but still has a real bite to it.

Ordering tip

Ask the bartender what gin they use, since a London Dry will give you a classic sharp bite while a softer botanical gin will change the drink's personality.

Ice: NoneTemp: ColdCost: $10–$18Glass: FluteBatch-friendlyMake aheadHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

This drink is a bright, sharp wake-up call in a glass. The lemon hits first, backed by a little sweetness, and then the gin's botanicals push through the bubbles. It drinks light and crisp because of the champagne, but the gin gives it a real backbone. You taste the dry, toasty yeast of the wine on the finish as the tartness fades. It is dangerously easy to drink for something this strong.

Finish: The finish is dry and slightly warming, with lingering juniper and tart lemon fading into toasty champagne bubbles.

Primary tastes

soursweetfloral

Secondary

herbalfruity

Aroma

lemon oiljunipertoasty yeast

Bitternesslow bitterness
Only a faint bitter edge from the gin botanicals and dry champagne, nothing that hits you upfront.
Sweetnessmoderately sweet
The syrup takes the sharp edge off the citrus, but the dry champagne keeps it from tasting like a sugar bomb.
Sournesssharp acidity
The fresh lemon juice gives a bright, mouth-watering tartness that defines the first sip.
Strengthdeceptively strong
You get a full shot of gin plus a champagne pour, making this a heavier drink than its light taste suggests.
Refreshingvery refreshing
Cold, sour, and bubbly — this drink goes down fast and easy, especially on a warm day.
Complexitymoderately complex
The gin and champagne layer some botanical and yeasty notes, but the main story is the straightforward sour-sweet push.

Recipe

Make it at home

Shaken · Flute · equal parts on Gin. London Dry recommended for a crisp, botanical bite

Before you start

Put your champagne flute in the freezer for a few minutes if you have time. Pull a fresh lemon for juice and another for the peel before you start.

Ingredients

GinBase SpiritLondon Dry recommended for a crisp, botanical bite30ml
Lemon JuiceJuiceFreshly squeezed15ml
Simple SyrupSyrup1:1 ratio sugar to water15ml
ChampagneSodaA dry Brut works best; any good sparkling wine will do90ml
Lemon PeelGarnish1 twist

Garnish: Lemon twist

Tools

Cocktail Shaker · Shaking
To shake and chill the gin, citrus, and syrup with ice
At home: A large mason jar with a tight lid
Jigger · Measuring
To measure the gin, lemon juice, and syrup accurately
At home: A measuring shot glass or tablespoon set
Hawthorne Strainer · Straining
To strain the ice out of the shaker when pouring into the glass
At home: A fine mesh kitchen sieve
Champagne Flute · Serving
To hold the drink and keep the bubbles concentrated
At home: A narrow white wine glass
Citrus Peeler · optional · Garnish
To cut a clean strip of lemon peel for the twist
At home: A vegetable peeler or small paring knife

Steps

1
Pour 30ml gin, 15ml fresh lemon juice, and 15ml simple syrup into your shaker. These three make the sharp, sweet base of the drink before the bubbles go in.
!Using bottled lemon juice leaves the drink tasting flat and metallic.
2
Fill the shaker about halfway with ice cubes. Close it up tight and shake hard for about 10 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels very cold and frosty. This chills the mix fast and wakes up the citrus.
~10s
!Shaking too gently leaves the mix warm and doesn't blend the syrup well.
3
Open the shaker and pour the mix through a Hawthorne strainer into your chilled champagne flute. You want just the liquid, no ice shards, filling roughly a third of the glass.
!Letting ice chips slip into the flute waters down the drink quickly.
4
Top the drink off with about 90ml of cold champagne, pouring it gently down the inside of the glass so it mixes with the base but keeps as many bubbles as possible. The glass should be full and the liquid should look cloudy for a moment before settling.
!Pouring the champagne too fast kills the carbonation and makes it flat.
5
Hold a lemon peel over the drink, yellow side down, and twist it so a mist of lemon oils sprays across the surface. Drop the peel right into the glass. The oils give it a sharp, fresh aroma right as you take a sip.
!Squeezing the peel into the drink releases bitter white pith oils instead of the fragrant yellow oils.

Serve

Serve it right away in a champagne flute while the bubbles are still active. The drink should be ice cold from the shaker, so no ice goes in the glass.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for Gin

GinCognac
Match
Common availability
Gin → Cognac: Swaps the piney botanicals for rich, grape-driven warmth and a heavier body.
GinVodka
Match
Common availability
Gin → Vodka: Removes the botanical bite entirely, leaving a cleaner, simpler citrus-champagne mix.

Swap options for Champagne

ChampagneProsecco
Match
Common availability
Champagne → Prosecco: Makes the drink slightly sweeter and fruitier with softer bubbles.
ChampagneCava
Match
Common availability
Champagne → Cava: Keeps the dry profile but with a slightly earthier, leaner finish.

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Similar cocktail

Tom Collins

The Tom Collins uses plain soda water instead of champagne, making it lighter and less alcoholic.

Match

Both drinks share that bright gin-lemon profile, but the Tom Collins is a casual, low-alcohol thirst quencher while the French 75 hits harder and tastes richer.

In common: gin-citrus-sugar base, long and bubbly, served cold

Ingredients

Both share

Gin, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup

Only in French 75

Champagne

Only in Tom Collins

Soda Water

Swapping champagne for soda water drops the alcohol content and removes the toasty, yeasty flavor, making the Collins a lighter everyday drink.

Flavor

Shared flavors

sharp citrus bite, botanical gin backbone, sweet-sour balance

How Tom Collins differs

lighter body, lower alcohol, missing yeast and toast notes

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Gimlet

The Gimlet uses lime instead of lemon and is served short without any bubbles.

Match

The Gimlet is a concentrated, stiff sip that puts the gin front and center, whereas the French 75 stretches the same idea out with bubbles and lemon.

In common: gin and citrus driven, sharp and refreshing

Ingredients

Both share

Gin

Only in French 75

Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Champagne

Only in Gimlet

Lime Juice, Simple Syrup

The Gimlet drops the champagne entirely and swaps lemon for lime, concentrating the drink into a short, sharp, spirit-forward sip.

Flavor

Shared flavors

sharp sour edge, botanical punch

How Gimlet differs

no bubbles, lime instead of lemon, stronger gin presence

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Champagne Cocktail

The Champagne Cocktail uses sugar and bitters instead of gin and citrus, making it a simpler, spirit-light drink.

Match

The Champagne Cocktail is a gentle, bittersweet sipper that lets the wine do the talking, while the French 75 hits you with a full gin-sour before the wine even shows up.

In common: champagne-forward, bubbly and festive, served in a flute

Ingredients

Both share

Champagne

Only in French 75

Gin, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup

Only in Champagne Cocktail

Angostura Bitters, Sugar Cube

The Champagne Cocktail skips the base spirit and citrus entirely, relying on a sugar cube and bitters to flavor the wine.

Flavor

Shared flavors

dry toastiness, bubbly texture, celebratory feel

How Champagne Cocktail differs

much lower alcohol, bitter instead of sour, sweeter and simpler

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

Harry MacElhone of Harry's New York Bar in Paris claims to have invented the French 75, publishing a recipe in his 1925 book. The drink is named after the French 75mm field gun used in World War I, supposedly because it had a similar kick. Earlier versions used brandy or even absinthe, and the exact shift to gin is disputed, though MacElhone's later editions listed gin.

Creator: Harry MacElhone
Era: 1920s
IBA: Contemporary Classics
Data version: IBA contemporary classics spec
Confidence

The IBA official recipe specifies gin, though historical versions used Cognac; both are widely accepted today.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

Pre-mix the gin, lemon, and syrup in a bottle and keep it cold for easy party pouring.
Use a dry Brut champagne so the drink stays crisp instead of turning cloying.
Chill your flutes in the freezer for ten minutes to keep the bubbles lively longer.

Avoid

Common mistakes

Don't use cheap sweet sparkling wine or the drink will taste like candy.
Don't shake the champagne with the gin or you will destroy all the carbonation.
Don't skip the lemon twist or the drink will smell flat.