What is a French 75 without a healthy pour of simple syrup?
The French 75 is a beautiful cocktail born out of times where people were thirsty for a good drink (somewhere between 1870-1930). As with the stories behind many of the worlds best cocktails - much mystery & rivalry surround its origin - and the exact dates seem slightly hazy. I wonder why!
There are at least three competing tales. One says that during WWI, allied soldiers who wanted a gin cocktail but had no club soda so substituted it for champagne. The second story is that The French 75 was born out of Prohibition. First appearing in print in 1927 in a bootlegger-friendly, New York humor magazine. The third tale, was that it first in the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. Basically, it's totally unclear and everyone is claiming it.
One thing that remains consistent is that the cocktail was named after the powerful French 75mm field gun, such was the kick.
The traditional recipe is made of gin, Champagne, lemon juice, and .5oz of simple syrup. Otherwise known as 10 grams of sugar.
Our Brooklyn 75 pays homage to the classic, but cuts the sugar by more than 90%. Plus it adds a little Brooklyn twist. Without all the sugar, we might actually remember this story. Maybe not.
Brooklyn 75
1-2 oz gin (we used Brooklyn Gin, but any Brooklyn Made gin will do!)
2 oz AVEC Grapefruit & Pomelo
2-3oz of sparkling wine (we used prosecco)
Squeeze of mandarin juice/ or twist of orange peel
Stir gin & AVEC over ice, strain & top with sparkling wine and garnish
