harvest 75 cocktail

I’m a huge fan of champagne cocktails – it’s all the celebratory fanciness of bubbles with the intriguing flavors of a cocktail. And in autumn, I go simply head over heels for apple cider (especially if it’s fresh from the orchard!) The easiest way to combine those has been a simple cidermosa, but I started to think to myself…if apple cider works that well in a mimosa, it must work for other champagne cocktails too!

When I was looking around for cocktail ideas, I found a lot of people who took a French 75 and replaced the champagne with sparkling cider (a Fall 75). This sounds delightful, but I’m a selfish girl and I wanted to have champagne and apple cider. So I’m dubbing my twist the Harvest 75. The French 75 is one of my usual cocktails when I’m out and about. Gin, champagne, and lemon? It’s always refreshing, and I think swapping out the lemon juice for apple cider will keep it fresh with some underlying tartness.

Simply shake one ounce of gin and one ounce of apple cider with ice until chilled. Pour into a flute/coupe/vessel of choice and top with champagne. Garnish with a decorative cut of fresh apple.

If you prefer things sweeter, you could go fully back to the original recipe and do .5 ounces of the cider (subbing for lemon juice) and .5 ounces of simple syrup, but personally I think that the cider is sweet enough on its own. A fanned apple slice is my go-to garnish, although if I were a fancier person I would definitely make an apple rose for this.

I think the herbal notes of the gin mixed with the apple give this cocktail a deliciously autumnal vibe. Cheers!