The French 77 Cocktail is a floral version of the classic French 75 cocktail. A relatively new cocktail to the world, this three-ingredient sparkling sipper is the perfect anytime cocktail and celebratory toast.
What is a French 77?
The French 77 is a riff on the classic cocktail the French 75. It’s a sparkling wine cocktail spiked with a splash of elderflower liqueur and fresh lemon juice. This sparkling cocktail was first introduced to the cocktail world in 2006 by the expert of imbibement—Simon Difford.
Ingredients
Elderflower Liqueur
The world’s first, and more well-known elderflower liqueur is St. Germain. This particular liqueur is floral and citrusy with notes of fresh pear. You can also use Fiorente elderflower liqueur—it has more of a honey flavor and is less citrusy than St. Germain.
Lemon Juice
When it comes to cocktails—fresh is always best! You only need ¼ ounce per cocktail—to be safe, count on the juice of one lemon for about 4 cocktails.
Sparkling Wine
For cocktails made with sparkling wine, we alway recommend using a dry sparkling wine such as a brut cava or champagne. The liqueur will add enough sweetness—no need to use a sweet sparkling wine.
How to Make
One of the best things about sparkling wine cocktails is how easy they are to make!
- Simply add the liqueur and lemon juice to a champagne flute.
- Top with sparkling wine.
- Garnish with a lemon twist, optional, and serve.
Test Kitchen Tips
- This cocktail isn’t shaken to chill so it’s important that all of the ingredients are well chilled before assembling.
- Use a sparkling wine you enjoy drinking on its own without spending too much. It takes up a lot of real estate in the glass, so make sure you like it. But it’s also getting mixed with other ingredients, so don’t use a sparkling wine that’s really special and should be enjoyed on its own.
Serving
Serve the French 77 for all kinds of occasions including brunch, bridal and baby showers, happy hour, date night, dinner parties, New Year’s Eve, Christmas and more.
We recommend garnishing with a lemon twist, but feel free to garnish with edible flowers, fresh berries, honeycomb and more.
French 77 For a Crowd
Planning for a crowd and don’t want to be pouring drinks all night? Consider making a big batch of French 77s.
To make 10 servings in advance: combine 10 ounces elderflower liqueur (1 ¼ cups), and 2 ½ ounces (⅓ cup) fresh lemon juice in a small pitcher. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To serve, pour 1 ¼ ounces (2 ½ tablespoons) of the cocktail into a champagne flute. Top with 4 ½ ounces (½ cup) sparkling wine.
FAQs
Yes and no. The elderflower liqueur and lemon juice can be mixed ahead of time. Right before serving add the sparkling wine and serve immediately.
A french 75 features gin, fresh lemon juice, a simple syrup and sparkling wine. The French 77 is much simpler, made with just elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and sparkling wine.
More French 75 Variations to Try
- French 76: essentially the French 75 made with vodka instead of gin.
- French 75 with cognac: also called “Arnaud’s French 75” or “French 125.” To make this, swap the gin out of a classic French 75 and use cognac instead.
- French Harvest: instead of topping with champagne, top with dry sparkling apple cider.
More Sparkling Wine Cocktails to Try
- Our Blood Orange Mimosa brings a bit of sunshine to a winter brunch menu.
- If you’re in the business of trying classic cocktails, then you’ve gotta try the Kir Royale. It’s a light and fruity sparkling cocktail.
- This Pomegranate Kir Royale is a wintery version for the Kir Royale using Pama (pomegranate liqueur).
French 77 Cocktail
Description
Ingredients
- 1 ounce elderflower liqueur such as St. Germain and Fiorente
- ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
- 4¼ dry sparkling wine such as Cava Brut, chilled
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 ounce liqueur and ¼ lemon juice to a champagne flute.
- Top with 3–4½ ounces sparkling wine.
- Garnish with a lemon twist, optional, and serve.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
