Upgrade Your Celebrations With This Spanish Twist To The French 75
History On The Rocks is Goya’s summer cocktail series in partnership with Smitha Menon. Here, we explore the often-unknown origin story behind our favourite classic cocktails. We will also be bringing you a modern take on the classic, from some of our favourite bars in the country. This week, the French 75.
The French 75 was named after a weapon of war. World War I, and a French light field gun of 75 mm calibre, to be precise. In 1915, the first reference was made to soixante quinze, a brandy-based drink. The recipe has evolved over the year (as has the glass) with the addition of gin, and champagne.
“The drink is a tribute to the age of exploration, where lime was prized as a naval cure, sugar travelled the world as liquid wealth, bitters were once sold as medicine, and gin carried the botanicals of distant lands,” says Dwayne D’mello, bar manager at La Loca Maria, Mumbai.
His recipe, mentioned below, is finished with Spanish dry vermouth and Spanish sparkling wine Cava.
RECIPE FOR LA LOCA MARIA’S LOCA 75
Ingredients
45 ml Hayman’s Exotic Citrus gin
20 ml fresh lime juice
10 ml herbed-honey syrup
5 ml Spanish dry vermouth
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Spanish Sparkling Wine (Cava Brut)
Rosemary sprig with a green olive, for garnish
Method
Shake gin, lime juice, herbed-honey & aromatic bitters with ice.
Add a touch of vermouth in a chilled flute.
Fine strain the mix into the flute glass.
Top with chilled Cava. Give it a light stir.
Garnish with rosemary sprig with a green olive.
History on the Rocks is a series in partnership with Smitha Menon. Join us as we explore the stories behind our favourite cocktails and how they traveled to us. Each history lesson is followed by a cocktail recipe from some of the country’s top bartenders.
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