How to make a French 75 with clear proportions
Make a French 75 with measured gin, lemon, syrup and Champagne. Follow the shake-and-top method, then adjust sweetness to taste.
By Cooking Clarity
A French 75 combines gin, fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup with Champagne. For one drink, start with 30 ml gin, 15 ml lemon juice, 15 ml syrup and 60 ml Champagne—the International Bartenders Association’s proportions. Shake the first three ingredients with ice; add the Champagne only after straining.
Ingredients for one drink
| Ingredient | Metric measure | Approximate US measure |
|---|---|---|
| Gin | 30 ml | 1 fl oz |
| Fresh lemon juice | 15 ml | ½ fl oz |
| Simple syrup | 15 ml | ½ fl oz |
| Chilled Champagne | 60 ml | 2 fl oz |
You’ll also need ice, a cocktail shaker, a strainer and a Champagne flute. A lemon twist is optional.
Use 1:1 simple syrup for this version. The IBA specifies sugar syrup but does not give its concentration. For a straightforward homemade syrup, combine equal volumes of sugar and water—for example, ¼ cup of each—warm while stirring until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool before mixing. This follows the method in Love and Lemons’ simple syrup recipe.
How to make it
- Chill the Champagne and glass. Measure the gin, lemon juice and cooled syrup into a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and shake until chilled. The shaker should feel cold on the outside. Shaking the gin, citrus and syrup with ice is also the method used in Love and Lemons’ French 75 recipe.
- Strain into the flute, leaving the ice behind.
- Pour in 60 ml Champagne slowly, pausing if the foam rises toward the rim. Stir gently to combine, as directed by the IBA.
- Add a lemon twist if you like and serve promptly. The IBA specifies no garnish; the twist is an optional finishing touch.
Do not put the Champagne in the shaker. It is the finishing ingredient, not part of the shaken base.
Adjust the next drink to taste
Keep the baseline measurements for your first glass, then change one thing at a time:
- Too sweet: try 10 ml syrup instead of 15 ml in the next drink.
- Too tart: try 20 ml syrup instead of 15 ml.
- Want a longer drink: try 90 ml Champagne. Love and Lemons uses approximately that amount with the same gin, lemon and syrup measures.
The syrup changes are taste suggestions, not the IBA formula. If you use a concentrated “rich” syrup, don’t assume it will match the sweetness of this 1:1 version at the same volume.
Champagne is the classic choice. Another dry sparkling wine is a practical substitute; Love and Lemons suggests cava or Prosecco. Choose a dry style and chill it before mixing. Keep the other measures unchanged initially, then adjust the syrup to suit the wine and your taste.