French 75
The French 75 is a Cocktail which consists of either Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Sugar, and Champagne.
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Why is it called a French 75?
The French 75 is named after a WW1 artillery gun used by the French.
Original Recipe
The Earliest Recorded recipe for a French 75 is in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930). However, Robert Vermiere (1922) lists a '75 Cocktail but no French '75.
'75 Cocktail
- 2 dashes grenadine
- 1 teaspoonful lemon juice
- 1/6 gill Calvados
- 2/6 gill Dry Gin
Shake well and strain into a Cocktail glass.
"This Cocktail was very well appreciated in Paris during the war. It has been called after the famous light French field gun, and was introduced by Henry of Henry's bar fame in Paris."
Note: This story about the '75 Cocktail is exactly the same as that which is often repeated about the French '75, although it is probably Harry MacElhone of Harry's Bar that is meant and not a "Henry of Henry's Bar".
Common Recipes
Recipe: Cocktaildb.com
- Build
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice (3 cl, 1/4 gills)
- 2 tsp sugar, stir (1 cl, 1/16 gills)
- 2 oz gin (6 cl, 1/2 gills)
- Fill with ice, Champagne
- Add lemon wedge, cherry, orange slice
- Serve with straws
- Serve in a tall glass (14.0 oz)
David Wondrich Says
"The French 75 is rather an open question -- with Cognac and no lemon juice or sugar, it's a French drink, although I don't think they called it that (officers used to drink it before going over the top in WWI). With gin, lemon juice and sugar (basically, a Tom Collins with champagne instead of soda water), it seems unlikely that it was originally French. Off the top of my head, I think it first shows up in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, which is English. But the French cannon after which it was named wasn't used by the English in WWI and was used by the Americans, so I'd bet there's a Yank in the works somewhere."
