Episode 37 - We Love Paris in November. French Cocktails!

We’ve got deux, count ‘em, deux cocktails from France for you today!  Well, maybe one of them isn’t from France but it’s certainly got a French connection.

First up is a classic from the Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930.  It actually appeared 3 years earlier in a book called “Here’s How” but it was the Savoy Cocktail Book that popularized it.  It is called the French 75 and is named after an artillery gun that the French used way back in World War 1. 

The version we did in today’s episode is from Ted Haigh’s  “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails” but it could have actually come from dozen’s of sources.  Let’s try it out!

The French 75
- circa 1930

2 ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar or 1 teaspoon simple syrup
Champagne

Shake all ingredients (except champagne) in an iced cocktail shaker and pour into a collins glass or a champagne flute.  Top with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.


The beauty of this drink is that you can adjust the champagne content to your liking.  Dave actually found this drink a little “winey” but that might have been due to Fred’s champagne pouring abilities.  We recommend adding just a little bit of Champagne for the fizz, then tasting the drink to see if you’d like a little more.

A French 75 locked and loaded for consumption!

The second drink is a neat little spin on the French 75 that Freddy found on the internet. 
It’s called “La Tour” and was created by Jennifer LeNecht from Cafe Moderne in Paris, France.  It’s got raspberries in it folks, so you know it has to be good!

La Tour
by Jennifer LeNecht, Cafe Moderne, Paris, France, 2016.

1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce raspberry syrup
3 fresh raspberries
Absinthe spray
Champagne

Put gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and berries in a shaker and add ice cubes.  Shake vigourously (you’re mashing up raspberries after all).  Spray the inside of a chilled glass with two or three sprays of Absinthe. and then fine strain the drink into the glass.  Top with champagne and garnish with a twist of lemon.

This is the drink that Fred dropped his camera in. We do not recommend that.

La Tour was the big winner of the night!  Let us know what you think and we’ll see you next time!