How to make French 75 cocktail

The French 75 is a proper cocktail classic. Gin, fresh lemon, a little sugar and Champagne. What's not to like?

Fresh, fizzy and very easy to make at home, it's a particularly good one for celebrations, garden parties or getting a weekend off to a strong start.

We make ours with Madame Jennifer The Chemist Gin, distilled by us in small batches here in Hove.

How to make a French 75

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves: 1

Glass: Champagne flute

What you'll need to make a French 75

• 15ml fresh lemon juice

• 1½ teaspoons icing sugar

• 45ml Madame Jennifer The Chemist Gin

• 75ml Brut Champagne or sparkling wine

• Lemon twist

• Ice for shaking

Here's how

1. Chill a Champagne flute.

2. Stir the icing sugar and fresh lemon juice together in a cocktail shaker until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Add The Chemist Gin and plenty of ice.

4. Give it a good shake until chilled.

5. Fine strain into your chilled Champagne flute.

6. Top with Champagne or sparkling wine.

7. Finish with a fresh lemon twist.

What is a French 75?

A French 75 is a classic cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and Champagne.

It's crisp, citrusy and refreshing, with a little more oomph than your usual glass of fizz. Which may explain why it's been a favourite for more than a century.

What's the best gin for a French 75?

A good dry gin is your friend here. You want something with enough character to stand up to the lemon and Champagne without taking over the whole drink.

We use The Chemist, which is a smooth, balanced Sussex dry gin. It's a great gin for classic cocktails (and makes a cracking Martini too).

Do I have to use Champagne?

No. Champagne is the classic choice, but a good dry sparkling wine works very nicely too.

We'd go for Brut or another dry style rather than anything particularly sweet.

Can I make French 75s ahead for a party?

Mostly, yes and it's a good idea if you've got a house or garden full of people.

Mix the gin, lemon juice and sugar beforehand and keep it nice and cold in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, shake with ice, strain into your glasses and top with chilled fizz.

Just don't add the Champagne in advance. Nobody wants a flat French 75.

About Madame Jennifer The Chemist Gin

The Chemist is a smooth, balanced Sussex dry gin, distilled in small batches at our Hove distillery.

It's one of the two gins we originally launched Madame Jennifer with and is named after Ian, the chemist in our scientist duo.

Drink it in a G&T, make a Martini or, as we've hopefully convinced you by now, give this French 75 a go.

Looking for more cocktails inspo?

Check out our Cocktail Recipes page for more drinks to make at home.