Getting Shelled With The French 75

Until yesterday, I had never heard of this particular cocktail.  A lady I happen to do business with was firing questions to me about gin, and proceeded to explain to me that she wished to concoct a French 75 at her home. She also filled me in on it’s origins, and I thought it was a pretty cool cocktail with a pretty cool story.  Legend states a Franco-American pilot during WWI by the name of Raoul Lufbery loved champagne, but needed something with a bit more of a kick.  Thus was born this cocktail.  Some folk beileve cognac was the original additive to champagne, but we’re going with the classic gin version, which became popular round these parts around 1919.  You’ll need the following:

2 ounces london dry gin (I prefer Whitley Neill)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce of lemon juice
5 ounces Brut champagne

Some places say to drink this in a Collins glass, others a champagne flute.  Either way, throw the gin, lemon juice and sugar into a shaker full of ice and give it a good shake.   Pour the champagne into the glass of your choice, and then strain the contents of the shaker into that.  Voila! Garnish with a cherry if that’s your style.  If you substitute vodka for gin, you’ve got a French 76 and if you switch it out with cognac, you’ve got a King’s Peg. The rumor is these will get you housed, so I’m hoping Lupec will be able to drive home after we down some of these.

-Out.

Tags: champagne, cognac, drink recipes, gin
Category: Cocktail Recipes, Uncategorized | Comments (1)