French 75 Cocktail
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - 10:36pm

Ingredients




2 ounces London dry gin
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
5 ounces Brut Champagne

Preparation

1 Shake gin, sugar, and lemon juice well with ice in a cocktail shaker. 2 Strain into Collins glass with ice and top with Champagne.

About


This intoxicating champagne cocktail was named after a French 75-millimeter gun used in World War I. Many American bartenders claimed to have invented the drink. One recipe, from 1919, called for absinthe, Calvados and gin, but no champagne. Supposedly, the champagne version was introduced at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1925. Or, the cocktail might have originated with American soldiers in Paris, who added gin and liqueur to champagne to crank up its potency.