With barely a second to breathe between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, it’s nice to steal some time, in the company of others, to enjoy a cocktail!  This year for the holidays, my drink of choice was a French 75.  At all of the holiday gatherings I attended, I brought that bubbly, fun and sophisticated beverage with me.  From girl’s night pre-holiday drinks and Christmas Eve to ringing in the New Year, the French 75 never left my side and was an instant hit.

 

French 75.  Crisp, clean, and refreshing; and not to mention it’s hard to go wrong when a cocktail is topped off with a little bubbly.  I love champagne; it reminds me of college, fun, good laughs and close friends.  My first encounter with a French 75 was over MLK weekend in Chicago, my senior year of college.  In need of a vacation and a road trip, a friend and I packed the car and made the 5 hour trek to the Windy City from the University of Michigan.  It was my first time in Chicago and of course we ended up in an old, dark, wooden bar for happy hour, not long after we reached our hotel.  Sitting at the bar with my friend from school and an old friend from my childhood, who happened to live in the neighborhood, I scanned the menu of fancy drinks, not yet familiar with the ins and outs of a cocktail menu.  We were used to ordering pitchers and shots at campus bars, not cocktails that were supposed to be sipped and savored.  When the bartender came to take our order, we were laughing so hard we were almost peeing our pants .  Flustered, I glanced at the menu, saw champagne and gin, both of which I liked but never had tried together, and pointed to the French 75.  The rest is history; the sweet, dry champagne cuts the juniper nose of gin, and the lemon adds that refreshing, clean kick.

 

For the holidays this year, I decided to share one of my old favorites with my friends and family, most of whom had never even heard of a French 75.  Some were skeptical, claiming they were not a fan of champagne or they did not drink gin, but after that first sip, I made converts out of most.  Despite the name, a French 75 is deceivingly simple.

French 75 | makes 2 drinks

• 4 oz Gin
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup (1c sugar : 1c water)
• Champagne ( or Prosecco) chilled
• 2 twists of lemon for garnish

Start by pouring the gin into a 2-cup measuring cup.  I like to do all of my mixing in a separate glass, because it keeps the glass I am going to serve my cocktail in clean and presentable, because it’s all about that presentation.  It also allows me to make multiple drinks at a time, so everyone can enjoy their French 75 together, including the bartender.  I then added 1oz of fresh lemon juice, which is about the juice of half a lemon.  Next add 1/2oz of simple syrup, which can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.  For the simple syrup, the sugar and water can be combined in either a sauce pan and heated or a jar and shaken, till the sugar dissolves.  Gently stir the first three ingredients together.  In either champagne flutes or coupes, pour the gin mixture even into the two glasses.  Top with chilled champagne or prosecco, garnish with a twist of lemon, serve immediately and enjoy!