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The Empress 75 is a gentle adaptation of the classic French 75 (Soixante Quinze) featuring Empress 1908 Indigo gin. Here’s how to make it great.
Why we love this recipe
The French 75 is an unimpeachable classic. The Empress 75 makes a beautiful variation that retains the same flavors with a subtle update and adds a vibrant pop of color. This cocktail is:
- Beautifully balanced
- Familiar yet a little bit novel
- Great for events with a colorful theme
- Easy to love
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- You’ll start with Empress 1908 Indigo gin. This beautiful bottle was inspired by the stately Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. In addition to the usual gin ingredients, it’s made with Empress tea blend — hand-picked leaves like those used at the hotel’s high tea, which give the flavor profile a modern twist. The indigo color comes from butterfly pea blossoms, which turns lavender or pink when mixed with various acidic ingredients such as the lemon juice in this cocktail. This is a commonly-used cocktail party trick these days, but as far as I’m concerned it never gets less lovely.
- There’s no substitute for freshly squeezed lemon juice, which adds brightness and balance to this cocktail. You’ll also garnish the drink with a lemon twist cut from the peel.
- A little bit of 1:1 simple syrup adds just a touch of sweetness. It’s super-easy to make, and you can learn how by clicking that link to head over to the recipe.
- You’ll top things off with Champagne or another good sparkling wine. I typically use our favorite Chandon Brut, which is from California but shares a lot of the characteristics of a good midprice Champagne. You can use any sparkling wine that you enjoy drinking.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a gorgeous Empress 75. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake well until very cold.
- Pour into a champagne flute.
- Top with champagne, garnish with a lemon twist, and serve. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Sure thing. To scale up the Empress 75 for a party, stir together in a pitcher up to three hours before serving time: two cups Empress gin, 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3/4 cup simple syrup, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, pour in one whole bottle of Champagne. Pour into glasses, garnish each with a lemon twist, and serve. Makes eight drinks.
More favorite French 75 recipes
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Empress 75
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (60 ml) Empress 1908 Indigo gin
- ¾ ounce (22 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce (22 ml) 1:1 simple syrup
- 3 ounces (90 ml) Champagne
- 1 lemon twist, to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.
- Pour in gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake well, until very cold.
- Strain gin mixture into a Champagne flute.
- Top with the Champagne.
- Garnish with a lemon twist and serve.
Notes
- To batch this cocktail, stir together in a pitcher up to three hours before serving time: two cups Empress gin, 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3/4 cup simple syrup, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, pour in one whole bottle of Champagne. Pour into glasses, garnish each with a lemon twist, and serve. Makes eight drinks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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