Classic French 75 with Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and Champagne

Chill the glass: place a champagne flute in the freezer for at least 5 minutes. A cold glass keeps a carbonated cocktail cold without dilution and preserves the champagne's bubbles.

Ingredients

• The four ingredients (the French 75 has no hidden elements — its simplicity is absolute):
• 45ml (1.5 oz) London Dry Gin — something clean and juniper-forward works best (Beefeater, Tanqueray, or Plymouth Navy Strength). Genever or Old Tom Gin can be used for a softer, maltier variant.
• 22ml (3/4 oz) fresh lemon juice — must be freshly squeezed. Bottled juice is an absolute non-starter; the oxidized, flat flavor kills the drink.
• 15ml (1/2 oz) simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water, dissolved) — or 22ml (3/4 oz) if you prefer a slightly sweeter drink
• 90ml (3 oz) dry Champagne or Crémant d'Alsace — any quality brut sparkling wine works, including Crémant, Cava, or Prosecco as value alternatives. The key is brut (dry) — extra dry or demi-sec will push the cocktail too sweet.
• For the garnish:
• 1 long spiral twist of lemon peel (a spiral, not just a coin — the length adds visual elegance appropriate to this drink)
• For equipment:
• A cocktail shaker, ice, a champagne flute — the tall, narrow shape concentrates the aroma and preserves the carbonation

Instructions

1. Chill the glass: place a champagne flute in the freezer for at least 5 minutes. A cold glass keeps a carbonated cocktail cold without dilution and preserves the champagne's bubbles.
2. Cut the lemon twist: using a channel knife or a sharp paring knife, cut a long spiral of lemon peel from top to bottom of the lemon, avoiding the white pith. The twist should be about 15-20cm long. Set aside.
3. Shake the base: fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add gin, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously for 10-12 seconds. A properly shaken base is very cold (below 5°C / 41°F) and visibly aerated. The shake chills and dilutes the gin-citrus base by exactly the right amount — about 20% dilution from melting ice.
4. Strain into the chilled flute: double-strain through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the cold flute. The double-strain catches ice chips that would dilute the champagne too quickly.
5. Top with champagne: hold the flute at a slight angle. Pour chilled champagne slowly down the side of the glass — not straight down the center, which agitates the carbonation and kills the bubbles. Fill to about 2cm below the rim. Do not stir after adding champagne.
6. Add the garnish: drape the long lemon spiral around the inside of the flute or twist it around the rim. As the twist contacts the drink's surface, a tiny amount of lemon essential oil will express into the glass, adding fragrance to each sip.
7. Serve immediately: the French 75 is alive only when the champagne is still fizzing. The French 75 takes its name from the legendary French 75mm field gun of World War I — so powerful and accurate that Allied soldiers said a hit felt like being struck by the cannon itself. The cocktail was created at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1915, where bartender Harry MacElhone served it to soldiers on leave. The combination was described as 'so powerful it felt like being shelled by the 75mm howitzer.' It became the signature cocktail of the Roaring Twenties, immortalized in the 1942 film Casablanca.