And we're back! This week we've been reminiscing on our time spent in Paris last summer and, naturally, missing it greatly. This walk down nostalgia-lane lead us to this week's cocktail: The French 75!
The French 75 made its first appearances early in the 20th century, purportedly in the famous New York Bar of Paris. Legend has it, the drink received its famous moniker because it "kicked like a French 75mm," a notorious piece of French field artillery used predominantly in WWI. The champagne component also justifies the name, but we've opted for a cheap sparkling wine option because the combination of these ingredients makes the quality of champagne/sparkling wine indiscernible!
This week we inherited a large basket of fresh Connecticut blueberries from a member of my church choir who owns a farm. Trying to think of unique ways to avoid letting these berries go to waste, I remembered a similar version of this cocktail I stumbled upon back in 2011 and knew this was the cocktail to make! Of course, we here at The Vintage Chanteuse have tweaked the ingredients a tad, so let's take a look:
- 6-8 blueberries
- 2oz gin
- 2oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Splash of simple syrup
- Champagne/Sparking wine
- Lemon twist for garnish
Preparation:
As you may have already noticed, we've chosen to serve this cocktail in vintage pilsner glasses simply because we received them as a gift this summer and think they are so neat! However, these glasses' round bottoms do not lend themselves well to muddling, so begin by muddling your blueberries in a flat-bottomed glass first. Then, if you wish, transfer ingredients to your glass of choice.
This is Isabelle, named after the French composer Isabelle Aboulker, she was patiently waiting for her chance at a fresh blueberry...little did we know she was eating them off the counter when our backs were turned! Eek!
Next, combine gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice and stir gently until well-combined. Finally, top with a couple of ice cubes and champagne/sparkling wine and garnish with a twist of lemon!
Recommended accompaniment:
We highly encourage you accompany your French 75 with "Je ne veux pas travailler" by the band Pink Martini! If you haven't heard of this band yet, it's time you familiarize yourself. They are a modern band drawing clear inspiration from the 1940s and have earned The Vintage Chanteuse seal of approval!
Until next time, salut!
The Vintage Chanteuse
