French 75 is a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

made from gin,

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a ''Soixante Quinze'' (Seventy Five). The drink dates to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and an early form was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris—later

Harry's New York Bar Harry's New York Bar is a bar in Paris, France located at 5, Rue Daunou, between the Avenue de l'Opéra and the Rue de la Paix. The bar was acquired by former American star jockey Tod Sloan in 1911, who converted it from a bistro and renamed it ...

—by barman

Harry MacElhone Harry MacElhone (1890 – 1958) was an early 20th century bartender, most famous for his role at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, which he bought in 1923. MacElhone was born in Dundee, Scotland, on 16 June 1890,Rob Chirico, ''Field Guide to Cockta ...

. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun.

History

The drink with its current name and recipe developed over the 1920s, though similar drinks date to the 19th century. In the 19th century, the ''champagne cup'' was a popular cocktail, consisting of champagne, lemon juice, sugar, and ice. Gin was sometimes added, yielding a drink much like the French 75. The drink was first recorded as the "75" in ''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails'', 1922 edition, by

, and in the same year in Robert Vermeire's ''Cocktails: How to Mix Them'', which credits the drink to MacElhone.The French 75 Cocktail—Tom Collins in a Tuxedo
, by Doug Ford, October 28, 2012 However, the recipes differed from the current form – MacElhone's version consisted of Calvados, gin, grenadine, and absinthe, while Vermeire added lemon juice. The recipe took its now-classic form and "French 75" name in ''Here’s How'', by Judge Jr. (1927), consisting of gin, sugar, lemon juice, and champagne. This recipe was republished with the name "French 75" in ''

The Savoy Cocktail Book The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 188 ...

'' (1930), which helped popularize the drink. Some later cocktail books use

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

instead of gin, such as '' The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks'' by David A. Embury. The French 75 was popularized in America at the

Stork Club Stork Club was a nightclub in Manhattan, New York City. During its existence from 1929 to 1965, it was one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. A symbol of café society, the wealthy elite, including movie stars, celebrities, showgirls, ...

in New York. It appears in the movie ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

'' (1942) and is referenced twice in the

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

films '' A Man Betrayed'' (1941) and '' Jet Pilot'' (1957). In 2016, it appears in the ITV series ''

Mr. Selfridge ''Mr Selfridge'' is a British period drama television series about Harry Gordon Selfridge and his department store, Selfridge & Co, in London, set from 1908 to 1928. It was co-produced by ITV Studios and Masterpiece/WGBH for broadcast on I ...

'', which is set in London in the 1910s and 1920s. A fanciful alternative story of the invention of the French 75 was related by humorist

Jean Shepherd Jean Parker 'Shep' Shepherd Jr. (~July 21, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film ''A Christmas Story'' ...

on November 17, 1969, wherein he credits Gervais Raoul Lufbery as the inventor. The mixture, as related by Shepherd, is champagne and cognac on ice with perhaps a twist of lemon. This version is not credible, given the documented earlier version. File:Canon de 75 front.jpg, The

Canon de 75 modèle 1897 The French 75 mm field gun was a quick-firing field artillery piece adopted in March 1898. Its official French designation was: Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897. It was commonly known as the French 75, simply the 75 and Soixante-Quinze (Frenc ...

is the source of the name of the cocktail. File:Batterie d'honneur de l'artillerie française - Investiture présidentielle du 15 mai 2012 - 031.jpg, The

is still used in France on ceremonial occasions.

Similar drinks

The recipe of the French 75 is very similar to one of the most popular cocktails, the

Tom Collins The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically serv ...

, with champagne replacing

carbonated water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

. According to the recipe in Harry MacElhone's book ''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails'', a French 75 is supposed to be served in a

highball glass A highball glass is a glass tumbler that can contain . It is used to serve highball cocktails and other mixed drinks. An example size is diameter by in height. A highball glass is taller than an Old Fashioned glass (lowball), and shorter and ...

. The highball glass, which the Tom Collins cocktail is also served in, supports the theory of the French 75 being a variation of the Tom Collins. A "French 125" replaces the gin for cognac.

References

External links

* * * * {{IBACocktails Cocktails with Champagne Cocktails with gin