Sour Cherry Cocktail: A Seasonal French 75

The classic French 75 uses fresh lemon juice and simple syrup to create a smooth, sour sparkling gin drink. In this sour cherry cocktail, we brighten things up with homemade cherry syrup for a blush-colored seasonal twist.

Why we love this recipe

There's no improving upon a French 75. But don't let that stop you from making this equally wonderful seasonal version. The sour cherry syrup complements the lemon beautifully. It adds a rosy blush and nuanced notes of fruit and florals.

I first published this recipe here in 2016. I've updated the post for clarity and tweaked the recipe a bit since then.

What you'll need

Here's a glance at the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe.

• A good London dry gin contributes a beautifully astringent and herbal foundation to this cocktail. Here I'm using Bombay Sapphire, but you can use your favorite.
• Just like in the original, freshly squeezed lemon juice provides most of the sour element
• Sour cherry syrup stands in for simple syrup, contributing a lightly tart, fruity, and floral complexity to this seasonal variation. If you don't want to make your own, Luxardo makes one.
• Champagne or another good bubbly wine (here I'm using the California Chandon Brut that we always keep on hand)
• Homemade maraschinos replace the lemon twist if you like or keep it old-school with a twist.

How to make it

Here's what you'll do to make a fabulous sour cherry cocktail. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in gin, lemon juice, and sour cherry syrup.
2. Shake well until very cold and strain into a champagne flute or coupe glass.
3. Top with Champagne.
4. Garnish with cherries or lemon twist and serve.

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite sour cherry recipes

• Shirley Temples
• Muffins
• Crisp
• Cake
• Frozen yogurt
• Domenica Marchetti’s recipe for sour cherry pie (via NPR)

Continue to Content

Yield: 1

Sour Cherry French 75

Print

The classic French 75 uses fresh lemon juice and a simple syrup to create a smooth, sour sparkling gin drink. In this sour cherry cocktail, we swap in homemade cherry syrup for a blush-colored seasonal twist.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ounces gin
• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ¾ ounce sour cherry syrup
• 2 ounces Champagne
• 3 homemade maraschinos
• or 1 lemon twist, to garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in gin, lemon juice, and sour cherry syrup, and shake very well.
2. Strain gin mixture into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
3. Garnish with the cherries or a lemon twist and serve.

Notes

1. If you don't want to make your own sour cherry syrup, Luxardo makes one.
2. If you prefer, you can make a pitcher of these for a party. One bottle of Champagne contains 24 ounces, so enough for 12 drinks. Make the full amount or use half a bottle for a more demure 6 drinks.Into a large pitcher or punch bowl, pour 24 ounces gin, 8 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice, 8 ounces sour cherry syrup, and ½ cup water. Chill for several hours until very cold. Right before serving, pour in cold Champagne. Pour into glasses, garnish, and serve.

I first published this recipe here in 2016. I've updated the post for clarity and tweaked the recipe a bit since then.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250

Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see! Tag us on Instagram at @umamgirl and use the hashtag #umamigirl. We'll reshare our favorites.