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Classic French 75 Cocktail Recipe

Name: Classic French 75 Cocktail Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 cocktail
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 ounces dry gin; ½ ounce fresh lemon juice; ¼ ounce simple syrup; Sparkling wine, like Champagne, prosecco, or cava, to fill; Cracked or crushed ice, optional

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jul 5, 2026 • 1 min read

Bubbly and fresh with an undercurrent of sharp botanical bite, the French 75 is the celebratory cocktail done right: With equal doses of both levity and gravitas.

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What Is a French 75?

The French 75 is a classic cocktail Champagne cocktail attributed to a bartender named Harry MacElhone at the New York Bar in Paris. According to the legend, Harry MacElhone thought that living life in the mad swirl of World War I merited a hybrid between a Champagne cocktail and a gin cocktail.

Originally, the French 75 was served in a highball glass, but the French 75s of today are more likely served in a flute. Different riffs within the recipe have been popular throughout the cocktail’s history: Cognac for gin, for example, or a dash of absinthe.

French 75 Cocktail Recipe

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makes

1 cocktail

prep time

5 min

total time

5 min

Ingredients

2 ounces dry gin
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
Sparkling wine, like Champagne, prosecco, or cava, to fill
Cracked or crushed ice, optional

1
In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup; fill with ice, and shake vigorously.
2
Strain into a chilled Champagne flute or highball glass (partly filled with ice, if preferred).
3
Top with sparkling wine until filled. Garnish with a lemon twist.

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