30 Before 30 Recipes: French 75

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Remember the 30 Before 30: Recipe To Do List? It's hard to decide where to start. Dip your toe in the shallow end with something quick and easy? Or just jump in head first? All that deliberation can make a girl thirsty, so why not kick it off with a cocktail? The classic French 75, specifically.

"The drink was created in 1915 at the Paris landmark, Harry's New York Bar by barman Harry MacElhone. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm howitzer artillery piece, also called a "75 Cocktail", or "Soixante Quinze" in French. The French 75 was popularized in America at the Stork Club." - Wikipedia: French 75

Fascinating, right? Okay, maybe not so much but it all starts with gin and champagne, and that's fascinating enough for me! Now that the vintage cocktail revival is finally starting to make it's way mainstream, you can occasionally find them in your local (quality) bar. Or if you're like me and don't want to wait for some bartender to pour one your way, you can use the super simple instructions below to shake one for yourself. This drink packs a wollop; it is not for the faint of heart. If you like your drinks fruity and frilly, then this isn't for you. But if you appreciate old school cocktails with an intriguing flavor combination, then this will not disappoint!

:::The French 75:::

2 oz. gin

1 oz. simple syrup (or 2 tsp. superfine sugar)

1 oz. lemon juice

Brut Champagne or other dry sparkling wine

Shake gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice in cocktail shaker with ice for 10-15 seconds. Strain into glass, and top with champagne (or sparkling wine). And if you want to add a little something extra, garnish with a lemon twist or maraschino cherry. I like the pop of color so I added a cherry (though actually, I don't like maraschino cherries!).

Results? FABULOUS. According to some recipes, this drink can also be made with cognac instead of gin. I've had it both ways and really? They're both delicious. Cognac is much sweeter than gin, so let that decide which route you go.

You know what else is fabulous? The 30 Before 30 Recipe adventure has begun! Oy, I hope I can fit all this in. I'll be updating my list soon so stay tuned! And in the meantime, drink up! ;-)

Oscar Ready: Ruby Red Carpet Cocktail

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Glamour and glitter, fashion and fame! (Thank you, Jem.) It's the OSCARS—the perfect excuse to gild everything you can in gold, drink champagne and fancy cocktails, and wear obnoxious jewelry that weighs you down… unless you're a guy, in which case a bow tie will suffice. :-)

So who's with me? Who's pumped? I may not know much about the nominees, but I do know that I have my predictions filled out and I'm more than excited to hear what Joan Rivers will have to say on Fashion Police tomorrow. Even better, I have an arsenal of schmancy ingredients (sort of) to indulge in a few glamorous cocktails.

Champagne (or sparkling wine) is a must, but I'm planning on kicking off festivities with this exquisite gem: the Ruby Red Carpet Cocktail. It's delicious and incredibly simple. What more could you want?

Ruby Red Carpet Cocktail

• 2-3 ice cubes

• 1 ounce gin

• 1 ounce Campari

• Top off with ruby red grapefruit juice (approx 2-3 ounces)

Pour ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake it like you mean it for about 10 seconds, and pour into your most fabulous glass. See? Easy. And no, the photo does not display my most fabulous glass, but it is the easiest to photograph. ;-)

I'm always a sucker for Campari, a sweet, herbal, citrus-y appertif with a gorgeous red color. And then there's gin—I'm a gin girl 100%. The gin and Campari complement each other beautifully, then the sour, fruity grapefruit juice just blends right in (in a good way, of course!). If you're not a gin fan like I am, you can use vodka. It would also be delicious with cognac, but the flavor of cognac may get lost when paired with Campari's strong presence. Just depends on what you're going for.

If you want to take the cocktail one step further, switch out the grapefruit for one ounce of sweet vermouth—you'll have my absolute favorite drink, the classic Italian Negroni.

So tell me—anyone else have Oscar plans? Fun drinks on the menu? Appetizers, perhaps? Or just a fun party theme? I'd love to hear about it—I'm always looking for ways to inject a little fabulousity into my every day life and the Oscars are just the time to do it.

Sunday Afternoon Cocktail Hour

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I had this splendid idea a few months ago to design a Cocktail-of-the-Month Calendar for 2010. I'm going to sell it on my Etsy site. Once it's complete, that is. During all this research & design time, I, of course, HAD to try out different cocktails to see what I wanted to include! I know, rough assignment, right?? I almost have them all picked out but I noticed I'm missing any representation from my favorite category... GIN! Perish the thought! You know what that means?? BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD! Or should I say "CUTTING BOARD" instead for some kind of pun?? Igh, maybe not.

My gin concoction will be for a winter month (the summers are all taken), which inspired me to use fresh rosemary to give it an alluring, woodsy aroma. "Woodsy" probably isn't a quality you put in the same sentence as "alluring" and "I want this in a drink," but lemme tell you... IT WORKS. It works, y'all.

I also thought, with all my drink explorations, a quasi-regular blog segment could be fun! Fun for me and fun for you! What do you think? Sunday Afternoon Cocktail Hour. It could be "Weekend Cocktail Hour," or whatever. But I find Sunday Afternoon a little more exciting. It just seems a little bit...naughtier. :-) And with that, I give you our first installment of (DRUMROLL PLEASE ........)

::: SUNDAY AFTERNOON COCKTAIL HOUR :::

Blackberry Nymph

• 5-6 blackberries
• 1 tbsp simple syrup + 1 pinch sugar
• 1.5 ounces gin
• 1.5 tbsp triple sec
• 1 tsp rosewater
• club soda, to top (less than 1/2 cup)
• fresh sprig of rosemary

In a cocktail shaker, muddle blackberries with simple syrup & pinch of sugar. If you don't have simple syrup, go ahead and use 2 tbsp sugar for this part. After you've muddled the berries, fill the shaker with 3-4 ice cubes. Pour in the gin, triple sec, & rosewater. Shake the shaker (novel idea!) for about 15 seconds, until you can feel the shaker become cold. Pour the contents into a highball or collins glass. Top with club soda and garnish with rosemary sprig.

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Why the "nymph" in the name? First, try the beverage. Pretty good, right? The flavor & scent of the rosewater along w/ the aroma of the rosemary garnish create an ethereal, floral concoction. If you look up "nymph," the definition is "any of the minor divinities of nature in classical mythology represented as beautiful maidens dwelling in the mountains, forests, trees, and waters." Take another sip. Seems appropriate, right? I thought so.

This beverage would also be good with vodka, though you'll be missing the fine juniper flavor of gin. Maybe even use a citrus or berry-flavored vodka to enhance the fruit.