Bar Necessities
The catalog
Contemporary Classics IBA Official IBA

French 75

Champagne with gin permit

Glass Champagne flute
Method Shaken
Garnish Lemon Twist

A bright gin sour crowned with champagne that hits with unexpected force — hence the artillery name. Elegant effervescence with real backbone.

Ingredients

Method

Shake gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice. Strain into a chilled flute. Top gently with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Documented in Vermeire's Cocktails: How to Mix Them (1922) crediting Henry Tépé of Henry's Bar, Paris; the modern gin-and-champagne version appears in Judge Jr.'s Here's How (1927). Per Difford's Guide #790. IBA Contemporary Classics list. Notes: Origins remain disputed; earliest reference is The Washington Herald (1915) under 'Soixante-Quinze' with gin, applejack, grenadine, lemon juice—markedly different from today's drink.

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