Culinary Explorer
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French 75
Created by Chef Remy
The cocktail that put New Orleans on the map for champagne drinks: crisp gin, bright lemon, and a cascade of fine bubbles that hits you with the force of a French field gun.
This drink has firepower. The name comes from the French 75mm field gun, the artillery piece that helped win the Great War. Soldiers said the cocktail hit with the same kick. They weren't exaggerating.
The French 75 found its true home in New Orleans. We've been serving it at Lagniappe since we opened in '98, and I can tell you from two decades behind the bar that nothing says celebration quite like this cocktail. The gin provides backbone, fresh lemon brings brightness, and the champagne lifts everything with those dancing bubbles. It's sophisticated without being fussy. Elegant without being precious.
My grandmother Evangeline served a version of this at every family wedding and christening. She called it "the fancy drink" and made it in pitchers, which is exactly how I recommend you approach it for a party. There's nothing worse than spending your own celebration stuck behind the bar. Make a batch, keep it cold, top with bubbles as you pour, and join your guests where you belong.
Ingredients
London dry gin
Quantity
1 1/2 ounces
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
3/4 ounce
freshly squeezed
simple syrup
Quantity
1/2 ounce
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| London dry gin | 1 1/2 ounces |
| fresh lemon juicefreshly squeezed | 3/4 ounce |
| simple syrup | 1/2 ounce |
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