Looking for a fun, bubbly cocktail? Well, I love bubbly cocktails, so you’ve come to the right place! And I’m always looking for a new one to try or an old one to try again. In this post I have a classic bubbly cocktail – the cognac French 75, which has just recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary. Now that’s a classic!
As we were sipping Blushing Meyer Lemon Drop Martinis recently, I was thinking about my February cocktail, and I was having so much trouble deciding exactly what to make! I actually started off with a hot eggnog type drink, which did seem perfect for the snow storms we were having. But, for all that we’re still in February, I need to think about warmer weather. (Seriously tough to do when I’m bundled in sweaters and snuggling with my electric blanket.) So, the warm eggnog drink? Look for it once we are on the other side of summer again!
And then I thought about trying something with blood oranges, which got my husband thinking about my Blood Orange Bourbon Smash and he wanted another variation on the theme.
Which then led me to thoughts of Easter and when Mardi Gras might be this year and here we are! I decided it would be fun to do a Mardi Gras themed cocktail and clearly I needed to post it in February. Since no one wants Mardi Gras themed anything after it’s over. 🙂
After all that torturous logic, I ended up making my husband and I a Meyer lemon cognac French 75. We both said that was the one, though he did insist that I test it a few more times before I posted. It would be all cocktails and steak around here if he had his way.
The French 75 is a classic cocktail, and a recipe which was actually first created in France, unlike French fries and French toast. 🙂 Here in the US, the French 75 is very much a New Orleans tradition to the point that we consider it one of the perfect Mardi Gras drinks, even if we’ve never been to New Orleans but have only seen it on tv. (Yes, that means me!) With Mardi Gras festivities in full swing right now as I write this, and Fat Tuesday coming up next week, I simply couldn’t resist working on a recipe so y’all could enjoy a little bit of Mardi Gras wherever you are.
Like many classics, everyone has their own variations on the theme; however, unlike say…the martini, you do need to stick fairly close the recipe or you are just making another drink entirely.
Not that I’m against making other drinks, but I wanted a French 75.
This meant I needed either gin or cognac – as different as these two liquors are they are both traditional to the cocktail. Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of gin. (Sorry!) Therefore, cognac was my liquor of choice for the cocktail, making this a cognac French 75.
Then it needs a nice hit of citrus. Lemon is traditional, but to give it a little twist, I went with Meyer lemons, since I love Meyer lemons so much! And I thought switching out some of the cognac for Grand Marnier would be an awesome addition, bringing some orange flavors and a little more Frenchness to this French cocktail.
Finally it’s time for the bubbly! It’s a Champagne cocktail, so you can’t skip the bubbly. I went with Prosecco, since that’s my favorite bubbly and it has shown up in a few cocktails here already, like my Raspberry Mint Prosecco Cocktail and my Pomegranate Prosecco Cocktail!
– Happy Imbibing, Annemarie
Tip: If you are making this cocktail with standard lemons, give it another hit of sugar syrup since you will need more sweetener to balance out the tarter lemon flavor.
Meyer Lemon and Cognac French 75 Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz Meyer lemon juice, 1-2 lemons
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- 2 oz cognac, or brandy
- 1 tbsp agave syrup, or honey or sugar syrup
- ice
- 6 oz prosecco, or other sparkling white wine
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice, Grand Marnier, cognac, agave syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and then pour the cocktail into two glasses. Fill each glass with 3 oz of prosecco and add ice if you wish. Garnish the drink with a twist of lemon rind.
Notes
- If you are using regular lemon juice, taste the cocktail and add more syrup if you need to. On a similar note, you can add more sweetener, but you can't take it out. Whether you are using Meyer lemons or regular lemons, I would suggest starting with just a few drops of syrup and add more until you are happy.
- I find that I like to drink this cocktail in a tumbler or old fashioned style glass. The traditional glass is a champagne glass. Do as you will!
Marlene says
I’m still waiting for my Meyer lemons to ripen! They are taking forever this year. Then I will try all your terrific cocktail recipes!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I’m crossing my fingers for you that they ripen soon! 🙂
Mary Frances says
Yum, yum!
Looks amazing!!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! 🙂