Cranberry French 75

Let’s toast to the holiday season with this cheery cranberry French 75! Prepared with a spiced cranberry simple syrup and squeeze of fresh lemon juice, this recipe adds a festive twist on a classic Champagne cocktail that's perfect for any special occasion. The holiday season is about to get extra fun with this oh-so-smooth, elegant cranberry Champagne cocktail.

Course Beverages

Cuisine French

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Steeping Time 10

Total Time 35

Servings drink

Calories 210kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Medium saucepan
Fine-mesh sieve
Jigger or small measuring cup
Cocktail shaker

Ingredients

Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly grated
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves

Cranberry French 75

1 ½ ounces London dry gin
1 ounce spiced cranberry simple syrup
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice
2-3 ounces Champagne or sparkling white wine
Fresh rosemary sprig for garnish, optional

Instructions

Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, add the cranberries, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to steep for another 10 minutes.
Place a bowl under a fine-mesh sieve. Strain the syrup in the fine-mesh sieve. Store the cranberry simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Cranberry French 75

In a cocktail shaker, add the gin, cranberry simple syrup, lemon juice and a handful of ice. Put on the top and shake vigorously, about 15-30 seconds.
Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne. If desired, garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

To make a 12-serving pitcher, stir together 2 ¼ cups gin, 1 ½ cups cranberry simple syrup and ¾ cup lemon juice and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to serve, gently pour in one 750-milliliter bottle of chilled Champagne. If you make a full pitcher with 12 servings, you'll want to make 1 ½ batch of spiced cranberry simple syrup.

Once you make the cranberry simple syrup, it should last several weeks as long as you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can substitute fresh cranberries for frozen. There's no need to thaw -- just add to the saucepan as you would with fresh cranberries.
The standard quantity of gin for a French 75 is 1 ½ ounces, but if you prefer less of a kick, use 1 ounce.
For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice isn't nearly as bright.
Not a fan of gin? You can substitute vodka instead. While it won’t technically be a traditional French 75, it will be your own spin that better suits your tastes.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition