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Cocktail History
The St. Clement’s 75 is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Emma Stokes and was first published in her book Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm Up Winter. It’s a simple holiday-inspired variation of the French 75 that’s made with the classic’s sparkling wine, gin, and lemon template. However, its special ingredient is a homemade spiced orange syrup, which is where the drink’s name comes from. It’s a nod to the English nursery rhyme “Oranges & Lemons.”
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. We used Villa Bellezza Winery Brillante because it has a light and airy flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine.
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Durham Distillery Conniption American Dry Gin because it features crisp and clean botanicals with notes of cucumber, citrus, and honeysuckle. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Spiced Orange Syrup: This is a sweetener made with orange juice, ginger, whole cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, white sugar, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Star Anise: This is a star-shaped seed pod. We used star anise from the bulk section at our local grocery store.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The St. Clement’s 75 features anise aromas and an initial taste that marries citrus and champagne, followed by an explosion of the syrup’s orange and baking spice flavors that complement the gin’s botanicals as it rests in the mouth and on the swallow.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The syrup really gives this drink a tasty edge that we both thought was to die for, which is funny because neither of us is crazy about the classic French 75. The St. Clement’s 75 changes that!
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I’ve had the French 75 plenty of times before, and while I always enjoy it, I never find it to be much better than sparkling wine alone would be; this variation, however, changed my mind. The spiced orange syrup we made for the drink is incredible, and it makes a world of difference, managing to lend plenty of its uniquely delicious flavor and even help to bring the gin’s herbal notes forward a bit. I truly enjoyed this cocktail.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It’s hard not to enjoy a French 75 because its flavors of fairly inoffensive. If you’re wanting a similar bubbly drink with added complexity and holiday flair, this is it! The St. Clement’s 75 was surprisingly unique and has an explosion of flavors that take this template to new heights. One sip, and you’ll likely never want a classic French 75 again.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm Up Winter by Emma Stokes.
Add gin, lemon juice, spiced orange syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with star anise.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, lemon juice, spiced orange syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with star anise.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine and MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Sparkling Cocktails
If you like this sparkling wine-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Thanksgiving Sparkler: A brandy cocktail made with pumpkin spice syrup, lemon juice, a white sugar cube, sparkling wine, brown sugar, and grated nutmeg
British 75: A gin cocktail made with lemon juice, simple syrup, sparkling wine, and a lemon wedge
Minute To Midnight: A brandy cocktail made with pear liqueur, Angostura aromatic bitters, dry sparkling wine, and a lemon twist
Wild Rose: A tequila and dry sparkling wine cocktail made with pineapple gum syrup, maraschino liqueur, Angostura aromatic bitters, and a orange twist
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