Cocktailia

French 75

• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 ounce gin
• Champagne

In an ice-filled pilsner or collins glass, combine the syrup, lemon juice, and gin, and stir to mix. Fill the glass with Champagne and garnish with three brandied cherries and a lemon twist.

I don’t have any brandied cherries at the moment, so I substituted one maraschino cherry instead. I don’t like maraschino cherries but thought the drink could use a splash of color. I also used Prosecco instead of Champagne because it’s what I have on hand.

This was a great after work cocktail for a day like today, 71°F at 7:00pm. We don’t get many warm weather days in San Francisco so we have to take advantage of the ones we get. Completely unintentionally, Beat Happening’s Indian Summer is playing as I write this.

If you’d prefer a bourbon-based variant, try the French 95.

Recipe from The Art of the Bar.