​The French 75 is a classic champagne cocktail attributed to a bartender named Harry MacElhone at the New York Bar in Paris. According to the legend, Harry MacElhone thought that living life in the mad swirl of World War I merited a hybrid between a champagne cocktail and a gin cocktail. The “75” in the name is inspired by the 75mm canon used by the French army during WWI.

Le French75 is a variation of the Gin Fizz completed with non vintage (NV) brut champagne and sometimes called Diamond Fizz.

​FRENCH 75 COCKTAIL (​Serves one)
¾ oz. (20 mL) simple syrup
¾ oz. (20 mL) lemon juice
1½ oz. gin
1 cup (250 mL) ice
½ cup NV Brut Champagne
1 lemon peel (optional)

Combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, gin and ice to a cocktail shaker (to give a local Singapore tang, you can replace the lemon with a lime or calamansi).
Seal the cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously.
Use the cocktail strainer to strain into a chilled glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel (optional).

Our Champagne suggestion: Carte Blanche from Champagne A&S Boever

Further Reading

More Champagne tips, recipes and pairings from SimplyChampagne

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