French 75
| 1-1/2 oz. | Cognac | |
| Champagne | (Brut) | |
| 3/4 oz. | lemon juice (fresh squeezed) | |
| 1/2 oz. | simple (sugar) syrup |
Fill mixing glass with cracked ice. Add cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake thoroughly. Pour into a highball glass. Top with brut champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
For those on a budget, substitute inexpensive brandy for the cognac. This intoxicating champagne cocktail was named after a French 75-millimeter gun used in World War I. Many American bartenders claimed to have invented the drink. One recipe, from 1919, called for absinthe, Calvados and gin, but no champagne. Supposedly, the champagne version was introduced at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1925. Or the cocktail might have originated with American soldiers in Paris, who added gin and liqueur to champagne to crank up its potency.