View source for French 75 (cocktail)

{{short description|Cocktail made from gin, Champagne, lemon juice, and sugar}}
{{Infobox drink
| name        = French 75
| image       = French 75.jpg   
| type        = [[Wine cocktail]]
| base        = [[Champagne (wine)|Champagne]]
| ingredients ={{plainlist|*{{cvt|30|mL|usoz|sigfig=1}} [[gin]]
*{{cvt|15|mL|usoz|sigfig=1}} [[lemon|lemon juice]]
*{{cvt|15|mL|usoz|sigfig=1}} [[simple syrup]]
*{{cvt|60|mL|usoz|sigfig=1}} Champagne}}
| served      = [[Straight up]]: chilled, without ice
| prep        = Pour all the ingredients, except Champagne, into a shaker. Shake well and strain into a Champagne flute. Top up with Champagne. Stir gently.
| drinkware   = [[Champagne flute]]
}}

'''French 75''' is a [[cocktail]] made from [[gin]], champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a '''75 cocktail''', or in French simply a {{Lang|fr|soixante quinze}} ('seventy five').

The drink dates to [[World War I]], when in 1915 an early form was created at the New York Bar in Paris — later [[Harry's New York Bar]] — by barman [[Harry MacElhone]]. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful [[Canon de 75 modèle 1897|French 75mm field gun]].

==History==
The drink with its current name and recipe developed over the 1920s, though similar drinks date to the 19th century. In the 19th century, the ''champagne cup'' was a popular cocktail, consisting of champagne, lemon juice, sugar, and ice. Gin was sometimes added, yielding a drink much like the French 75.<ref>"[http://liquor.com/articles/behind-the-drink-the-french-75/ Behind the Drink: The French 75]", David Wondrich, July 09, 2012</ref>

The drink was first recorded as the "75" in ''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails'', 1922 edition, by [[Harry MacElhone]], and in the same year in Robert Vermeire's ''Cocktails: How to Mix Them'', which credits the drink to MacElhone.<ref name="ford">"[http://cold-glass.com/2012/10/28/the-french-75-cocktail/ The French 75 Cocktail—Tom Collins in a Tuxedo]", by Doug Ford, October 28, 2012</ref> However, the recipes differed from the current form – MacElhone's version consisted of [[Calvados]], gin, grenadine, and absinthe, while Vermeire added lemon juice.<ref name="ford"/>

The recipe took its now-classic form and "French 75" name in ''Here’s How'', by Judge Jr. (1927), consisting of gin, sugar, lemon juice, and champagne.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1927-Here-s-How-2nd-impression/28|title=1927 Here's How by Judge Jr ( 2nd impression)|website=euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz}}</ref> This recipe was republished with the name "French 75" in ''[[The Savoy Cocktail Book]]'' (1930), which helped popularize the drink. Some later cocktail books use [[cognac]] instead of gin, such as ''[[The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks]]'' by [[David A. Embury]].

The French 75 was popularized in America at the [[Stork Club]] in New York. It appears in the movie ''[[Casablanca (movie)|Casablanca]]'' (1942) and is referenced twice in the [[John Wayne]] films ''[[A Man Betrayed (1941 film)|A Man Betrayed]]'' (1941) and ''[[Jet Pilot (film)|Jet Pilot]]'' (1957). In 2016, it appears in the ITV series ''[[Mr. Selfridge]]'', which is set in London in the 1910s and 1920s.

A fanciful alternative story of the invention of the French 75 was related by humorist [[Jean Shepherd]] on November 17, 1969, wherein he credits [[Gervais Raoul Lufbery]] as the inventor. The mixture, as related by Shepherd, is champagne and cognac on ice with perhaps a twist of lemon.<ref>[http://podbay.fm/show/129951381/e/1185336300 Podcast] 27:00</ref> This version is not credible, given the documented earlier version.

<gallery widths="300px" heights="210px">
File:Canon de 75 front.jpg|The [[Canon de 75 modèle 1897]] is the source of the name of the cocktail.
</gallery>

==Similar drinks==
The recipe of the French 75 is very similar to one of the most popular cocktails, the [[Tom Collins]], with champagne replacing [[carbonated water]]. According to the recipe in Harry MacElhone's book ''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails'', a French 75 is supposed to be served in a [[highball glass]]. The highball glass, which the Tom Collins cocktail is also served in, supports the theory of the French 75 being a variation of the Tom Collins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/french-75/|title=French 75|date=January 26, 2019|website=Jeffrey Morgenthaler}}</ref>

A "French 125" replaces the gin with cognac.<ref>{{cite web |title=French 125 (French '75' with cognac) |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/3642/french-125-french-75-with-cognac |website=Difford's Guide |access-date=8 March 2025}}</ref>  A "French 95" replaces the gin with bourbon.<ref>{{cite web |title=French 95 (a French '75' with bourbon) |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/4238/french-95-a-french-75-with-bourbon |website=Difford's Guide |access-date=8 March 2025}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |url=https://savoycocktails.appspot.com/show?cocktail=ag5zYXZveWNvY2t0YWlsc3IPCxIIQ29ja3RhaWwYwAoM |title=French 75 recipe |publisher=[[The Savoy Cocktail Book]] |access-date=2017-10-29 |archive-date=2013-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127185726/http://savoycocktails.appspot.com/show?cocktail=ag5zYXZveWNvY2t0YWlsc3IPCxIIQ29ja3RhaWwYwAoM |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.esquire.com/drinks/french-75-drink-recipe |title=French 75 recipe |magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/1960s/1960/07/french-75 |title=French 75 recipe |publisher=[[Gourmet (magazine)|Gourmet]]}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/French-75-242668 |title=French 75 recipe |publisher=[[Epicurious]] |access-date=2010-08-01 |archive-date=2009-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727041606/http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/French-75-242668 |url-status=dead }}

{{IBACocktails}}

[[Category:Cocktails with Champagne]]
[[Category:Cocktails with gin]]