The classic French 75 is 30 ml gin, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml sugar syrup, shaken hard with ice, strained into a chilled flute or coupe, and topped with 60 ml chilled Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist. Swap in cognac for a richer French 125, vodka for a French 76, or dry Prosecco or Cava for the sparkling pour, and the drink still holds together.
TL;DR:
- Use a 2:1:1 ratio of gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup for a perfectly balanced French 75, which is scalable and easy to adjust by taste.
- Always chill the glass and sparkling wine beforehand, and pour gently to preserve carbonation and maintain the drink’s lively fizz.
- Swap gin with cognac for a richer, warmer variation or vodka for a cleaner taste, but choose dry sparkling wine like Brut Cava or Prosecco for better balance.
- Serve in a flute to maximize bubble retention and keep the drink cold longer, and add a lemon or grapefruit twist as a traditional garnish.
- Proper shaking time and ice volume are key to achieving the right dilution; under-shaking results in sharpness, while over-shaking can water down the citrus.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients, measures and the 2:1:1 ratio for scaling
- Step-by-step method for a properly balanced French 75
- Variations and substitutions worth trying
- Choosing the right glass and garnish
- Troubleshooting tips for a better French 75
- Picking the right French 75 for the occasion
- Gins we’d reach for in a French 75
- FAQ
- Sources
Ingredients, measures and the 2:1:1 ratio for scaling
The IBA standard recipe calls for 30 ml (1 oz) gin, 15 ml (0.5 oz) fresh lemon juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) sugar syrup, topped with 60 ml (2 oz) Champagne. That gin to lemon to syrup split is a simple 2:1:1 ratio, which is the part worth remembering if you want to scale the drink up or tweak it by taste.
For two drinks, double the shaken portion only, pour each into its own chilled glass, then top each individually with sparkling wine rather than mixing it into a shared batch. This keeps the fizz lively and the ratio consistent glass to glass.
Equipment is minimal:
- A Boston or cobbler shaker and a Hawthorne strainer.
- A jigger marked in 15 ml and 30 ml increments, or a dual-sided 1 oz / 0.5 oz jigger.
- A chilled flute or coupe, kept in the freezer if you have the space.
- Fresh lemons and a simple syrup you’ve made at a 1:1 sugar to water ratio.
Step-by-step method for a properly balanced French 75
Chill your glass and your sparkling wine well before you start. A flute or coupe that’s spent fifteen minutes in the freezer holds the fizz noticeably longer than one taken straight from the cupboard.
- Fill a shaker two-thirds with ice.
- Pour in 30 ml gin, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml sugar syrup.
- Shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, until the shaker feels properly frosty to the touch.
- Strain into the chilled flute or coupe through a Hawthorne strainer.
- Top gently with 60 ml chilled sparkling wine, pouring slowly down the side of the glass to protect the bubbles.
- Serve immediately, while it’s still cold and lively.
Pro Tip: Pour the sparkling wine down a bar spoon or the tilted inside of the glass rather than straight down the middle; it loses far less carbonation that way.
A properly frosty shaker is your best signal that dilution is where it should be. Under-shake and the drink tastes sharp and boozy; over-shake past 15 seconds and you risk watering down the citrus snap that makes this cocktail work. Serve it the moment it’s topped. According to Mybar, a French 75 is at its best within 10 to 15 minutes of topping, after which the fizz and chill both start to fade.
Variations and substitutions worth trying
Swap the gin for cognac and you get a noticeably fuller, warmer drink, sometimes poured as its own variant. Robb Report notes that cognac versions carry more natural sweetness and body, so nudging the lemon up by 2.5 to 5 ml keeps the balance from tipping sweet. Swap vodka in instead and you’ve made a French 76, a cleaner, more neutral pour that lets the sparkling wine and lemon lead rather than the botanicals.
The sparkling wine matters more than people assume. The Manual points out that a dry, well-made brut, whether that’s non-vintage Champagne, Cava or a dry Prosecco, gives better balance than an expensive vintage bottle. Cava brings more mineral snap, Prosecco leans softer and fruitier, and Cremant sits somewhere between the two in mousse and dryness.
A few small additions worth testing:
- A 5 ml float of elderflower liqueur for a floral top note.
- 10 to 15 ml of Lillet Blanc in place of some syrup for extra aromatic depth.
- Two dashes of orange bitters shaken in with the gin and lemon.
Readers chasing more floral syrup pairings can find extra dosage ideas in this floral gin and tonic recipe guide.
Choosing the right glass and garnish
A flute concentrates the bubbles and keeps the drink cold longest, which is why it’s become the default serve. A coupe shows off more aroma because of its wider mouth, though it loses fizz a touch faster. Serving over ice in a tall Collins glass, meanwhile, is actually the older style, and Difford’s Guide notes the French 75 started life closer to a Tom Collins variant before the flute presentation took over.
For the garnish:
- Cut a 4 to 5 cm strip of lemon peel, avoiding the bitter white pith.
- Twist it sharply over the glass to release the citrus oils across the surface.
- Drop it in or rest it on the rim, whichever you prefer.
- A grapefruit twist works as an alternative when you want something a little softer and less sharp.
When serving a few at once, top each glass individually and bring them out straight away rather than letting a batch of topped drinks sit and go flat.
Troubleshooting tips for a better French 75
Flat bubbles usually come down to warm wine or a heavy pour. Keep the bottle properly chilled until the moment you top the glass, and pour gently rather than dumping it in. If the drink tastes too sharp, cut the lemon by a few millilitres before adding more syrup, since citrus is easier to overcorrect than sugar. If it tastes flabby or too sweet, the opposite applies: trim the syrup slightly and taste again before adjusting further.
Shake time and ice volume both drive dilution, and a properly frosty shaker is the clearest sign you’ve got it right. Robb Report notes that even a 2.5 to 5 ml shift in syrup can noticeably change the balance in a drink this small, so taste as you tweak rather than guessing.
Pro Tip: A fuller-bodied, citrus-forward gin carries the lemon better than a heavily juniper-led one, so look for botanicals that complement rather than compete with the citrus.
Picking the right French 75 for the occasion
A Champagne-forward classic wins at anything celebratory: engagements, a toast at dinner, a bright afternoon where the drink needs to feel like an event. It’s crisp, a little showy, and it photographs well, which matters more than bartenders like to admit.
A cognac variant suits a slower evening, cooler weather, or a guest who finds straight gin too sharp. Vodka’s French 76 is the safest bet for a crowd with mixed tastes, since it rarely clashes with anything. We’ve found the gin you choose shapes the drink more than most recipes let on, which is exactly the kind of detail that comes from spending time distilling and tasting botanicals side by side.
— Winston
Gins we’d reach for in a French 75
Some gins with all-natural, locally sourced botanicals suit the French 75 particularly well. White Christmas Gin brings a bright, citrus-friendly profile that sits comfortably alongside lemon and sparkling wine. Tropical Trim Gin leans fruitier, which works nicely if you’re using a softer Prosecco rather than a dry brut. Pink Fit Gin is naturally coloured and vegan, gluten free, and sugar free, for anyone who wants a lighter spirit without losing flavour.
All three sit within our full range of gins, alongside The Denim Collection if you’d like to explore our other botanical profiles, or our Limited Editions for something harder to find. If you’re not sure which bottle suits your taste, a gin match quiz on site can be a quick way to narrow it down before you buy.
FAQ
What are the ingredients of a French 75 drink?
A French 75 is made with gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup and a sparkling wine, usually Champagne. The IBA standard calls for 30 ml gin, 15 ml lemon juice, 15 ml syrup and 60 ml Champagne, shaken and topped.
What is the difference between French 75 and French 76?
The only difference is the base spirit: a French 75 uses gin, while a French 76 swaps in vodka. Lemon juice, syrup and the sparkling wine topper stay the same in both.
What is Taylor Swift’s favourite cocktail?
Taylor Swift’s widely reported favourite is the French Blonde, not the French 75, according to the Washington Post. The two drinks share a sparkling, citrus-forward style but aren’t the same recipe.
What is a French 75 traditionally served in?
A chilled flute is the most common modern serve, since it holds the bubbles longest and keeps the drink cold. Difford’s Guide notes the cocktail was originally served over ice in a tall glass, closer to a Tom Collins, before the flute and coupe presentation became standard.
Sources
- French 75 – IBA
- Difford’s Guide — French 75 history
- The Manual — sparkling wine advice
- Robb Report — best French 75 recipe
