During the next weeks we will make non-alcoholic versions of some ‘IBA cocktails’. The IBA (International Bartenders Association) recognized 77 recipes of cocktails that can be used in the annual ‘World Cocktail Competition’. The cocktails from this list also receive a standardized recipe and can be found in many cafés and restaurants. We want to give as many of these cocktails as possible an alcohol-free brother. This way, at your next party, you can give people who do not drink alcohol the same cocktail as the rest of the guests, but without risking of a hangover the next day.
Contemporary Classic
Earlier we made the Nogroni, the No Gin in the fizz and the AmericaNO. Respectively these are the alcohol-free versions of the Negroni, the Americano and the Gin Fizz, three cocktails that can be found in the iBA’s list. Today we will try the French 75. The IBA list is subdivided into three. You have the unforgettables, these are cocktails that exist for a very long time and can still count on great acclaim. Next to the unforgettables, you have the Contemparary Classics and the New Era Cocktails. In these last two categories you will find slightly more modern cocktails that IBA expects to stand the test of time effortlessly. The French 75 belongs to the contemporary classics.
French 75
This cocktail was invented in 1915, in the ‘New York’ café in Paris. The story behind the name of the cocktail is a bit lurid. The French 75 was first made during the first world war and the kick that you get after drinking the cocktail would be comparable to the shock you get when firing a French 75 mm cannon.
The main ingredients of this cocktail are Champagne, Gin, lemon juice and a little sugar syrup. We only have to replace the Gin with an alcohol-free variant and the champagne with an alcohol-free sparkling wine. For this recipe we use ‘Ceder’s alt Crisp’ as a replacement for the Gin, because they already published a sort of alternative to the French 75 on the site of Ceder’s alt with the Disarmed 75. However, we adhere a little more to the official IBA recipe. To give the cocktail a little more flavor, we use 5 cl. Cedar’s alt instead of the prescribed 3 cl. Gin. We also use half a centiliter more lemon juice.
What do you need?
- 5 cl. Ceder’s alt (or another alcoholfree alternative for Gin)
- 6 cl. alcoholfree sparkling wine
- 2 cl. lemon juice
- a few drops of symple syrup
How do you make it?
- Pour the Cedar’s alt, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice
- Shake firmly
- Using a strainer, pour the mix (without the ice) into a cooled glass
- Add 6 cl. non-alcoholic sparkling wine