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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.
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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!
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.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-08.
St. Clement’s 75
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.”
Ingredients
Method
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Add gin, lemon juice, spiced orange syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a cocktail glass.
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Top with sparkling wine.
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Garnish with star anise.
