French 75 (1930)

One name, different old formulas

The Champagne-topped reference here is Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), page 73. It gives gin, lemon, powdered sugar and Champagne in a tall glass with cracked ice.

An earlier “75” in Harry McElhone's 1923 book is a very different drink: gin, Calvados, grenadine and absinthe, named with reference to the French field gun. There is no Champagne in that formula.

Those two entries are an enjoyable surprise in the Jazz Age bar-book article. A familiar name can bring an expectation to the glass that the old ingredient list doesn't share.

Our modern recipe follows the sparkling Savoy combination, with its changed measures and presentation explained below. The gin-and-lemon base is the part prepared in the shaker; Champagne is the finishing pour.

The sour before the bubbles

London dry gin brings botanical flavor, lemon supplies acidity and syrup joins the two with measured sweetness. The fixed amounts give you a starting point independent of the size of a spoon or the juice in one particular fruit.

The gin-to-lemon ratio here is 3:1, compared with the source's 2:1. That makes the gin more prominent before the wine enters. The simple syrup also replaces powdered sugar, making the sweetness easier to measure in the short mixing stage.

The ice chills and dilutes that base. It's strained out before the sparkling addition, leaving the flute free of mixing shards and cracked ice.

Enough room for the last pour

A flute needs space above the citrus base for the wine. Add it gently so the rising fizz doesn't push the drink over the rim.

The long lemon spiral is a modern garnish. Its scent is another citrus element, separate from the lemon juice mixed through the liquid. One spiral is plenty beside the bubbles.

For a small gathering, the still ingredients can be measured together for comfortable shaker batches. Each glass still receives its own Champagne at serving. There is no advantage in shaking sparkling wine with the sour or letting a row of finished drinks wait while the final glasses are prepared.

A toast needn't mean Champagne on its own. Here the bottle meets fresh lemon and gin, with the same attention given to the last gentle pour as to the earlier sharp shake.

For more of the bar-book background, read about cocktails in 1920s London and Paris↗ on our sister site, Forgotten Drink.