Brightest Young Things

One of the things I love the most about cocktails is that very few of them have iron-clad recipes. Much like wine, there are so many variations on the theme based on country, region, someone screwed up the history in the first place, or for the simple fact that something was substituted at one point and it stuck.

For example, take the French 75. This classic was supposedly created by Franco-American World War I flying ace Raoul Lufbery. Cue photo of Snoopy and the Red Baron.

This ace liked champagne but wanted something with more of a kick. A kick like, say, the one you get from firing a French 75mm Howitzer. So he mixed his Champagne with cognac, which according to this story made him feel like he had gotten a "kick" indeed. Some contest this and say he added gin, not cognac. I don't know which one is right here, but cognac would have been more accessible than gin so I'm voting cognac. Nevertheless, most books list gin and not cognac for the actual drink recipe. If you have both available, I say try it both and find the one you like. If you only have vodka on hand, the cocktail is henceforth referred to as a French 76.

French 75

• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 oz gin
• Ice
• Champagne

Combine sugar, lemon juice, and gin in a shaker full of ice. Shake well, then pour into a tall glass and top with champagne. Add lemon wedge, cherry, orange slice. Serve with straws in a tall glass or flute.