Cognac French 75

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

An elevated and full-bodied cocktail, the Cognac French 75 is perfect for special occasions.

The rain can make one wistful. Many of you out there love a watery, dark day. For romantics, their imagination can run wild, inspiration can strike them and their creative juices begin to flow. Painting, music, writing… making any kind of art and pulling it out of thin air is the best way to spend your time, I think. Where once was nothing, now there’s something. And those stormy days that keep you inside are also some of the best times to revisit a favorite show, or movie. With a drink, too. Curling up with someone you like to get cozy with and sharing a loving cup is a fine activity as well.

Tonight’s cocktail is what I would consider to be fancy. The Cognac French 75 is a deep and sultry sip. All at once it is sweet, rich, bright and bubbly. If I were ever going to have a romantic trip away from home, it’d be somewhere up in the mountains, in a gaudy suite somewhere that featured a heart-shaped bubble bath, and this would be the cocktail I’d mix up for the occasion. Perfect to toast with by the fire.

So one rainy afternoon, not far off from Valentine’s Day, I began to think of that someone special. What would I do? Flowers and balloons? Chocolate? Cocktails and dinner, of course, but what else? Then I remembered my idea of an ultra-romantic hotel room, kinda like in Superman II, coupled with canoodling on a fuzzy rug with a few Cognac French 75s. I suggested this to that someone, and wound up toasting with myself on the couch instead. One day, maybe. The dream is still alive.

What Is The Best Alcohol To Use In A Cognac French 75?

People will tell you if you’re drinking champagne that isn’t from the Champagne region in France, you’re technically drinking sparkling wine. It’s a similar thing when it comes to cognac, which is a type of brandy. When you get brandy from anywhere else, it’s called brandy. When you get brandy from the Cognac region in France, you have cognac. It’s a little more complicated than that, naturally, especially regarding the distillation and aging process. Use something like a Courvoisier, Rémy Martin or Hennessy, topped with a fine Taittinger champagne. If you can’t find cognac or champagne near you that’s cost-effective, by all means, use brandy and a dry or brut prosecco.

WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH IS USED?

A long-stemmed champagne flute garnished with a lemon twist is the proper way to serve this cocktail.

IS THIS THE “ORIGINAL” VERSION OF THE FRENCH 75?

It is said that the French 75 in its first incarnations was made using cognac, instead of the more traditional gin. Like many drinks, this one’s history is contested and a little muddled, but the gin version is most commonly considered to be the first.

Cognac French 75 Variations

You don’t have to have romantic notions to have an excuse to make today’s recipe. You can just watch Casablanca on a drizzly, stormy night, order a pizza for yourself and make the whole affair a fancy one by enjoying a few Cognac French 75s. Or, if you’re feeling like you could want something slightly different but the same, there are some variations on tonight’s libation out there.

• French 75 – The classic and iconic drink, popular for more than a century.
• French 76 – Add vodka instead of gin to make your 75 a 76.
• French 77 – The fresh and floral flavor of elderflower liqueur makes this tipple a special one.
• Tom Collins – Use club soda instead of champagne to say hello to Mr. Collins. Over ice, of course.