The French 75

What do you call a group of white people?

A brunch. Da-dum-tah.

The French 75 has rapidly become a staple drink at brunch, and in our opinion, it’s a much more delicious day drink than the mimosa. It’s floral, fruity, bubbly and a little sour. It’s typically made with gin, though cognac is a fine substitute. 

The Tiny Bar Owner and his Legendary Bar

Ted Sloan was born James, but given the unfortunate nickname “toad” because of his tiny little legs. Later in life, he found his stature benefited his horse racing career. He had a very distinctive racing style sitting as far up the horse as possible, which was mocked in an 1890s issue of Vanity Fair. For a few years, Sloan lived in luxury, adorned in flashy clothes and surrounded by a multitude of pretty women. His lavish lifestyle inspired “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in the Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones.

Alas… It was not to last. Sloan’s racing career was tragically cut short by a freak “betting on his own races” accident. Unemployed, rich, he did what any of us would do and started his own bar. In 1911, he refurbished a bistro and hired Scotsman Harry MacElhone to run what became known as “Harry’s New York Bar” in Paris, France. He picked well. MacElhone was quite the inventor and he is credited with having created everything from the Boulevardier, the Bloody Mary, the sidecar, and the French 75 – an early form of which was supposedly first poured at the bar in 1915. This is a little disputable, however. Charles Dickens apparently poured his guests a cocktail consisting of “gin, champagne, sugar, citrus and ice” long before in Boston. But the French 75 name is much cooler.

The Name

The cocktail got its name from the famed piece of field artillery. Though smaller and more compact than the German guns of its day, canon de 75 modèle 1897, or the French 75, packed a tremendous punch, like the cocktail. The cocktail’s first formulation, published in 1922, was composed of gin, Calvados, grenadine, and Absinthe. The drink’s recipe was cemented in 1927 in Here’s How by Judge Jr, alongside the toast “here’s to present day culture—which doesn’t care about your English if your Scotch is all right!” 

Seriously though, drink a few.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz gin
• 2 dashes simple syrup
• .75 oz lime juice (lemon is good too, but lime is better)
• 3 oz Champagne

Glass

• Cocktail Glass
• Originally served in a Collins glass. Thanks Reddit user /u/AyekerambA. Video explination.

Instructions

• In a cocktail shaker with ice, mix together gin, simple syrup and lemon juice. You can make multiple drinks at the same time if pouring for a group (or if very thirsty). You can also refrigerate this mixture for 2 days
• Strain and pour into a champagne flute.
• Top with Champagne