The French 75

In my humble opinion, the best Champagne Cocktail is a French 75, a refreshing concoction made from gin, sparkling wine, lemon juice, and sugar. It’s brilliant in its simplicity allowing all the components to intermingle yet shine through. According to cocktail historian Dale Degroff, the French 75 was created at Harry's Bar in Paris around World War I and is named after a French 75mm artillery piece used during the war. Some will argue that a proper French 75 is made with Cognac but we will leave that debate for another day. For this recipe, I used Jin Jiji, a new gin from Goa, India launched by Master Sommelier Ken Fredrickson. It’s made from spices sourced exclusively from India including juniper, coriander and tulsi (holy basil). I also recommend Tanqueray or Hendrick’s. The key to making a good French 75 is to ensure everything is cold, I recommend storing the glasses in the freezer if you can. You can pre-batch the gin and lemon sour mix and then top with Champagne or sparkling wine prior to serving. A French 75 is also endlessly adaptable with variations including swapping out the lemon juice or simple syrup for other fruit juices including raspberry, pear or mango but for now, I'm sticking to a classic recipe.

French 75

• 1 oz gin 

• 3/4 oz simple syrup

• 1/2 oz lemon juice (fresh)

• 4 ounces Champagne or Sparkling Wine

• lemon twist

Directions: add gin, simple syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously then strain into a well-chilled Champagne flute or cocktail glass, top with sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon twist.