The French 75

With Bastille Day around the corner–we can add to the summer celebrations with this fun and refreshing cocktail by our friend Kitty. Kitty is a home cocktail enthusiast and member of social club and feminist workspace, The Perlene.

French 75
Bastille day is celebrated on July 14th and  is the anniversary celebrating the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution. It is also a celebration of the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790.
The French 75 is a classic drink dating from WWI and named after the French 75 millimeter field gun. Over the years it has evolved though the original iteration was a potent and intensely sweet mix of gin, apple brandy, grenadine, and lemon. And though the current popular iteration is much less sweet it is still intensely potent so be warned! You can read more about the origin stories of one of the most popular cocktail drinks here.
Here is a modern take on the French 75 from Portland home cocktail enthusiast, Kitty.
  • 2 ounces London dry gin – to make the nice lilac color in the photo use Empress 1908 gin that is naturally colored with butterfly pea powder. 
  • ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce lemon simple syrup (see note below)
  • 2 ounces Dry Champagne
  • Long spiral lemon twist  (for serving)
  • Combine gin, lemon juice, and lemon simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds.Strain cocktail through a Hawthorne strainer or a slotted spoon into a large flute. Top with Champagne; garnish with lemon twist.

  • Lemon Simple Syrup :
  • To make the lemon simple syrup, heat a shallow pan of 1/4 cup water to 1/4 cup white sugar over medium heat. peel a whole large lemon in chunks and juice the entire lemon. While the sugar is dissolving stir in the lemon peel and juice until everything is a pale yellow color and it smells slightly of cirtus. Leave lemon peels in and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

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