French 95

The French 95 is a variation of the classic French 75 that uses bourbon in place of gin. Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a standard sour ratio, top with sparkling wine, and you have a sparkling bourbon cocktail that’s perfect for celebrations or to accompany spicy meals.

So read on to learn all about bourbon, cocktail ratios, and detailed tips and tricks for making this cocktail – only if you want to. If not, just grab your bubbly, hit that purple Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make a French 95.

Ingredients

Bourbon – bourbon is a whiskey that must be mostly from corn. Bourbons have a sweet, sometimes smoky flavor, that makes them great in sours but also in bourbon apples or bourbon caramel sauce. A couple of my favorites for everyday uses are Woodford Reserve or Makers Mark.

Simple syrup – simple syrups are sugar syrups made with sugar and water, usually in equal proportions. I like demerara syrup for this French 95 because its toasted caramel flavor pairs well with bourbon, but you can use any sugar you have on hand.

Sparkling wine – Champagne is the classic sparkling wine called for in a French 75, but you can make cocktails with Cava and other less-expensive sparkling wines made in the méthode champenoise, or even Prosecco. A brut is a good choice here. Go with extra brut if you like a really dry cocktail or an extra dry if you like it sweeter.

If that sparkling wine terminology is confusing to you, you can read all about Prosecco and other sparkling wines. It’s good to know about sparkling wines, not only for New Year’s Eve but also because these wines are great in food pairing. They’re also integral to spritz cocktails like a passion fruit spritz or Negroni spritz or the pornstar martini,

Variations and substitutions

• sub out the simple syrup for maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar.
• use a blackberry simple syrup or other flavored syrup.
• make a bourbon Frangelico sour or add another flavored liqueur in place of sugar syrup.
• turn this cocktail into bourbon and Champagne jello!

Recipe tips and tricks

Many classic cocktails use standard cocktail ratios which are varied depending on the drink. A Tom Collins is a sour base topped with soda water. The French 95 is a whiskey sour topped up with sparkling wine.

The standard ratio for a sour is two ounces of liquor, three quarter to one ounce of simple syrup, and three quarter to one ounce of lemon or lime juice – but we’ll reduce this since we’re topping with more alcohol. Combine the sour base in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and double strain into a champagne flute to get rid of the pesky citrus bits and ice shards. Top the cocktail with sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon twist (or orange if you’re feeling sassy).

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