Before gin and Champagne ever got involved, the French 75, officially “Matériel de 75 mm Mle 1897,” was a 2,700-lb field gun rolled out by the French to fight WWI.

As for the cocktail, made as it originally was—which is to say, a full-strength drink into which was mixed a half glass of wine—the French 75 certainly had the firepower to earn its name. That first reported recipe differs from what you find now. For years the French 75 was served on the rocks in a tall glass, essentially a Tom Collins with the soda water swapped for sparkling wine. The modern incarnation is in a flute, sans the ice.

In this episode of Cocktails for Grown Ups, our resident bartender shows how to make both versions of the beloved Champagne cocktail the French 75 and explains the key differences between the two.


Proper French 75
• 1 oz. Beefeater London Dry Gin
• 0.5 oz. lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. simple syrup
• 3 oz. Champagne

Old School French 75
• 1 oz. Beefeater London Dry Gin
• 0.75 oz. lemon juice
• 0.75 oz. simple syrup
• 3 oz. sparkling wine

You can find all of Jason's weekly columns, with new recipes publishing every Saturday afternoon, over at Robb Report: robbreport.com/author/jason-o...

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