This French 75 cocktail is made with Empress 1908 gin, champagne, lemon juice, and garnished with the cutest champagne grapes! It's a refreshing, slightly sweet cocktail that's perfect for any occasion from casual brunch to your New Year's Eve party!
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What is a French 75?
A French 75 is a simple yet sophisticated cocktail that typically contains gin, lemon juice, sugar and champagne and gets its name from the powerful French 75mm field gun.
It's an elegant champagne cocktail that's perfect for entertaining! Serve these cocktails at any event from:
- Ladies brunch
- Mother's Day
- New Year's Eve
- Romantic dinner or dinner party
- Bridal shower or bachelorette party
- Valentine's Day
A French 75 is typically garnished with a lemon twist, but I love using mini champagne grapes as a fun alternative!
You might also like this Empress Gin London Mule or these champagne gummies!
Ingredient Notes
You only need 5 ingredients to make this Empress Gin French 75!
Empress Gin - You can't have a French 75 without gin! My favorite gin is this stunning Empress 1908 Gin! It's micro-distilled in small batches with botanicals like juniper, rose, grapefruit peel, and butterfly pea blossoms for an aromatic flavor. Empress Gin gets its beautiful indigo blue color from the butterfly pea flowers and changes color depending on what it's mixed with! So this French 75 turns a lovely pink because of the acidity from the lemon juice!
Simple Syrup - You can add as little or as much simple syrup as you like but it's totally optional if you prefer a less sweet cocktail!
Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice has the best flavor, but you can use bottled if that's all you have.
Sparkling Wine - You can use your favorite champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine for this cocktail! I prefer a more dry, brut champagne, but if you choose a sweeter prosecco you might want to add in a little less simple syrup.
Champagne Grapes - These mini grapes are optional, but I think they're such a fun garnish for this French75! Champagne grapes (also know as black Corinth grapes or Zante currants) are a type of small grape that grow in tight clusters. They're sweet little flavor bombs that are perfect for eating alone or as a garnish for desserts, cheese boards, or glasses of champagne (hence the name). You can find champagne grapes at grocery stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts, or you can order them online from Melissa's Produce.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Simple Syrup
I always make my own simple syrup for cocktails because it's so easy and paying for it seems silly to me! You can also add in different herbs or fruit for a delightfully flavored simple syrup.
- ½ cup granulated sugar (or honey)
- ½ cup water
- leftover lemon rinds (optional)
- Add the sugar and water (and lemon rinds if desired) to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Let cool completely to room temperature, then pour into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to a month!
How to Make a French 75
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.
Then pour in the Empress gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice.
Shake until well chilled and strain into a coupe glass
Then top with the champagne and garnish with champagne grapes if desired!
Cocktail Serving Tips
For this Empress French 75, you just need a cocktail shaker!
Traditionally, you would serve a French 75 in a champagne flute with with a lemon twist. But you can also use a champagne coupe and a fun garnish like these tiny champagne grapes!
Recipe FAQ's
Empress gin gets it's indigo color from the addition of butterfly pea blossoms in the distilling process! It makes for a beautiful gin that changes color when other ingredients are added! Like the slightly pink color of this French 75!
Of course not! I love the flavor profile of Empress Gin and I love how the color pairs with the champagne grapes, but you're welcome to use whatever brand of gin you prefer in this French 75.
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Recipe Card
Empress Gin French 75 Cocktail
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces Empress 1908 Gin
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 3 ounces champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine
- champagne grapes, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.
- Then pour in the Empress gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice and shake until well chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass and top with the champagne.
- Garnish with champagne grapes if desired!
Notes
-
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
-
Let cool completely to room temperature, then pour into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to a month!
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Cait says
Hi, looks delish! Could you batch prep this without the champagne and pour on top just before serving? Anything that would need to change?
Kyleigh Sage says
Yes, that's exactly what I would do, just wait for the champagne until right before serving.
Andrea says
This was delicious!
Valerie says
Perfect Mother's Day cocktail! So delicious. Easy to sip! We loved the pink color brought on by the Empress gin. We added some lemon rind to the simple syrup we prepared. Be careful though, they are potent!