French 75

History of the cocktail French 75

The French 75 is one of the classic cocktails, the status recognized by the IBA which has included it in its list of great contemporary recipes. According to them, French 75 was created in 1925 at Harry’s Bar in Paris by Harry Mac Elhone who was inspired by a pre-existing recipe, the 75 Cocktail. It was made from Calvados and contained, among other things, grenadine syrup. Harry Mac Elhone’s variant consisted of replacing Calvados with champagne, and he adapted the other ingredients for a new balance of flavors.

The name of this cocktail refers to the famous 75 mm gun, a French artillery piece invented around 1897 and which became famous during the First World War. This very sophisticated gun gave the French army an advantage thanks to its lightness and its ability to fire repeatedly.

The recipe of the cocktail French 75

The cocktail consists of champagne (12,5 cl), gin (3 cl), but also lemon juice (1,5 cl) and simple sugar syrup (1 cl). And, generally, you decorate your glass with lemon zest and a candied cherry.

The preparation of the cocktail French 75

 – Place the ice cubes in the highball glass.
 – Pour the ingredients directly into a chilled glass.
 – Stir the mixture lightly with a bar spoon for 8-10 seconds.
 – Decorate your cocktail by placing a maraschino cherry in the glass.

Variations of the cocktail French 75

There are many variations of this cocktail, for example with added wine or liqueurs. Other variations of the French 75 cocktail are possible. For example, the French 76 cocktail is the same recipe but with vodka instead of gin.

Fifteen years after its creation, in 1930, a recipe for the French 75 was recorded in The Savoy Cocktail Book, which subsequently lead to it being served in New York at the Stork Club, where it was a huge hit.
This elegant apéritif has also variously been known as a 75 Cocktail or, in French, a Soixante-Quinze (simply a ‘seventy-five’).

Included in the list of IBA official cocktails.