French 75

French 75 is a classic cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and champagne. To prepare it, gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup are shaken with ice, strained into a glass, then topped with champagne and garnished with lemon peel.

It is believed that the cocktail was invented by Scott Harry McElhone, the owner of Harry’s American Bar in Paris in 1926, who named it after a strong artillery gun used by the French military. Shortly after, American soldiers fell in love with the cocktail and brought it back to the United States, where it was a huge hit, especially at New York City’s famous Stork Club.

Although it is said that French 75 was made with cognac instead of gin in its early history, nowadays there are countless ways to prepare variations of this refreshing classic. An interesting fact for movie lovers: French 75 appears in one of the most beloved classics, Michael Curtiz's Casablanca.