Cherry French 75 – sweet tart perfection!

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 I 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: The best 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 To Make a Cherry French 75

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 I 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!)

Serving Suggestions

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 perfect with a cheese board or charcuterie, or baked Brie. 

Recipe Variations

• Use Luxardo cherries. For an easy 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.
• Easy 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.