Cherry French 75 – sweet tart perfection!

At a glance

What stands out: Sparkling and festive, a cherry French 75 is the reliable cocktail to celebrate a special occasion, whether it’s toasting the New Year or an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner.

How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: cocktail shaker
Servings: 1 (but it’s straightforward to mix more)

A Classic Cocktail With A Twist

French 75, with cherries. A French 75 is a cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and sparkling wine. To make a cherry French 75, the simple syrup is replaced by the syrup found in a jar of maraschino cherries, turning the cocktail a beautiful shade of pink and giving it a cherry/almond flavor.

Not an overly sweet cocktail. Refreshing, sparkling, tart … it’s hard to describe this champagne gin cocktail. A cherry French 75 is a great choice if you’re not fond of overly sweetened cocktails. Gin brings juniper and a certain spiciness, lemon juice adds bright tartness, maraschino cherries a unique sweet almond flavor, and the bubbly dry wine adds … well, bubbles.

Attractive. Garnished with a lemon twist and pretty red cherry, with a bright tutti-frutti color, isn’t it a pretty cocktail? Or maybe we shouldn’t say “pretty cocktail” and scare off you guys who only drink manly drinks. Let’s just go with “full-bodied punch,” okay? Shaken and served icy cold, this gin cocktail is just absolutely a party in a chilled glass.

What’s in a Cherry French 75?

• Ice: The cocktail is shaken with ice and served chilled. Be sure your ice is fresh; stale ice can ruin a good cocktail.
• London Dry Gin: A standby type of gin for this cocktail is a London dry gin, such as Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, or Tanqueray.
• Lemon Juice: Make sure you have plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice on hand. Use the peels to make the festive lemon twists for a garnish. Hint: remove the strips of peel before you juice the lemons.
• Maraschino Cherries: Look for a good brand of cherries. You’ll use the juice/syrup from the jar and the cherries.
• Prosecco: Any dry sparkling wine is fine, including brut champagne. Choose your favorite brand of prosecco, champagne, asti spumanti, or whatever you like best.

How it comes together

Simply add ice, gin, lemon juice and a dash of maraschino cherry syrup to the shaker, and shake it vigorously for 15 seconds.

Pour into a glass and top with champagne.

Add a festive cherry garnish and lemon twist, and serve immediately.

Why Is it called a French 75?

The story is so interesting! This drink dates back to World War we and was created in Paris, reportedly named for artillery, the powerful French 75mm field gun. Why the name? The combination of the original ingredients “was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled” with the French 75. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

So have a “blast” with this cocktail but please drink responsibly, as always, and don’t get “bombed”. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)

Ways to serve it

Serve cherry French 75 cocktails with nibblers such as smoky roasted almonds, seasoned oyster crackers, creamy kale bruschetta, or sausage pinwheels with apple, sage, and Gruyère.

This sparkly gin cocktail would also be reliable with a cheese board or charcuterie, or baked Brie.

Ways to change it

• Use Luxardo cherries. For a straightforward upgrade in flavor, substitute Luxardo cherries for the maraschino cherries. Click here for an interesting article about the history of maraschino cherries and the original dark burgundy Luxardo cherries.
• Make a French 76. Use vodka instead of gin. Omit the cherry juice and use simple syrup instead. Garnish with one maraschino cherry.
• Make a French 75. Try a traditional French 75, which is made without cherry juice.
• Straightforward alterations: If you like a sweeter cocktail, increase the amount of maraschino cherry syrup. To make a stronger drink, increase the amount of gin. To make a less potent drink, increase the amount of prosecco to 6 oz. If you’d like a NA cocktail, use non-alcoholic gin and your favorite non-alcoholic sparkling wine.

Make-Ahead Ideas

This sparkling cocktail is best served immediately. Make sure you have lots of ice and chill the cherries and prosecco. Make your lemon twist garnishes, squeeze the lemons and chill the juice. Learn how to make a lemon twist.

• Yield: 1
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ice
• 1 ½ oz. London dry gin, such as Tanqueray or Beefeaters
• ½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ oz. maraschino cherry syrup/juice
• 3 oz. prosecco, chilled (or any sparkling wine)
• maraschino cherry, for garnish
• lemon twist, for garnish

Method

1. Add gin, lemon juice, and cherry syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice; shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
2. Strain into a fluted cocktail glass and top with prosecco.
3. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and lemon rind twist, and serve immediately.

Notes

Variations: If you like a sweeter cocktail, increase the amount of maraschino cherry syrup to 1 oz. To make a stronger drink, increase the amount of gin. To make a less potent drink, use less gin and increase the amount of prosecco to 6 oz. Try Luxardo cherries instead of maraschino cherries.

No alcohol: If you’d like a NA cocktail, use non-alcoholic gin and your favorite non-alcoholic sparkling wine.

Make a French 76. Use vodka instead of gin. Omit the cherry juice and use simple syrup instead. Garnish with one maraschino cherry.