A twist on the classic French 75 recipe. This French 75 cocktail is infused with cranberry to bring the holiday season together. Gin, sparkling wine, with bright cranberry and lemon flavours.
My favourite pre-dinner cocktail has to be a French 75. I love the lemon flavours, the bitterness of the gin and of course, bubbles. Who can resist?
Around the holidays I up the ante by infusing the drink with cranberry simple syrup for a festive spin on things. I almost always offer the simple syrup and gin at our annual holiday party so I can serve these Cranberry 75s on repeat for our guests. It’s really a classic French 75 recipe with some bright cranberry flavour and colour.
The genius behind this cocktail is that it is literally a pour everything in the glass kind of cocktail. No shaking, no mess (unless you’re a chronic over-pourer like myself), and is a drink everyone can get behind.
How to make a good French 75:
A classic French 75 recipe contains gin, lemon simple syrup, and sparkling wine or champagne. The way to make a good French 75 is by having all the ingredients chilled. It provides a crisp cocktail with bright lemon essence.
The bubbles make the cocktail feel light and quite frankly, quite dreamy to enjoy.
More easy holiday cocktails:
This holiday cocktail is perfect for festive gatherings, including brunch. It’s got all the Christmas hues, flavours, and is fun for guests to put together in the kitchen.
I like putting the the simple syrup, sparkling wine, and gin so that guests can customize this signature cocktail to suit their own preferences. I like my cocktails on the dry side (I can’t as much sweet in my life as I get older) so the gin and dry sparkling wine are what get me there. Use a sweeter sparkling wine if that’s your jam.
A twist on the classic French 75 cocktail to bring the holiday season together. Gin, sparkling wine, with bright cranberry flavours.
- 2 cups cranberries (around 220 grams)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 oz cranberry simple syrup (see recipe above)
- 1 oz gin
- 1/4-1/2 cup Chilled Prosecco, Sparkling Wine, Cava, Champagne, etc.
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Place cranberries, water, and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until cranberries start to release some juice. Strain and reserve liquids (discard solids or use for another purpose). Chill. Can be kept covered and chilled for 3-5 days.
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Add simple syrup and gin into a champagne flute. Top with chilled bubbles and garnish with a wedge of lemon if desired.
Enjoy! xo