Top Shelf Gin fans—your shed-made French 75 might just outshine the city's best pour.

September 18, 2025

A Classic Cocktail with a Backyard Twist: How to Make the French 75 Shine at Home

If you've ever wondered whether a homemade gin can produce bar-level cocktails, you're in for a good time—and one quaffable surprise. The French 75 might sound like it belongs in a swanky hotel bar, but with a quiet afternoon, a few crisp ingredients, and Top Shelf Select Classic Gin flavouring, it becomes something personal—hands-on, expertly made, and entirely yours.

Before We Stir: A Quick Look at the Legend

The French 75 gets its name from a World War I artillery piece—a 75mm field gun known for its punch. Fitting, because when you combine gin, lemon, sugar, and bubbles, you’ve got a cocktail with effortless charm and a subtle kick. First shaken up in the 1920s, it's bright, dry, and dangerously sippable. But there’s something better than ordering one on a night out: crafting it in your own shed.

Start with Good Gin

This is where the rubber hits the road—or the juniper hits the glass. Your base spirit sets the tone, and Top Shelf Select Classic Gin delivers a London Dry-style finish that absolutely sings in a French 75.

Its fresh juniper notes and citrus-laced spice are balanced without being bland—making it the ideal canvas for lemon and bubbles. One twin-sachet pack gives you up to 2.25L of gin-flavoured spirit. No need to fire up the still—just mix with a quality neutral spirit, give it a good rest, and you're golden.

DIY French 75: What You’ll Need

45ml gin (we used our Top Shelf Select Classic Gin batch)
15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
60ml chilled sparkling wine (dry brut preferred)
Ice and a cocktail shaker
Lemon peel, for garnish

How to Make It

Add gin, lemon juice, and syrup to a shaker with ice.
Shake briskly to get everything cold and lively.
Strain into a champagne flute or tall glass.
Top with bubbles and garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

Simple, right? But don’t let that fool you. There’s magic in the balance—one sip and it dances on the tongue: citrus tang, botanical depth, and effervescence that fizzes its way through even the roughest day.

Shed-Made, Not Second-Rate

There’s a quiet satisfaction in offering someone a drink that didn’t come off a shelf. When it’s made from your own hand-mixed gin, that moment hits different. It’s the nod you get when they take their first sip and go, "Oof, that’s bloody good." That’s not just a cocktail you served—that’s something you crafted.

“Homemade spirits should never feel like a compromise. They should feel like an upgrade.”
– Candeece, Homebrew Advisor

Tips for Nailing It Every Time

Get your gin right: Let your Top Shelf gin-infused spirit rest a few days after mixing—it helps the flavour open up.
Use fresh lemon juice: Bottled juice just doesn’t cut it. Fresh = fragrance + zing.
Don’t skip the chill: Warm cocktails flatten fast. Shake hard, serve cold.
Keep it dry: Use a dry sparkling wine or brut-style bubbles—sweet wine will throw your balance out badly.

The Secret Ingredient No One Talks About

Time. Not in the drink itself—but in the process. There's a kind of peace in prepping your own spirit, slicing that lemon just so, wiping down your bench in the shed. That time and care is what elevates a simple Saturday drink into a ritual worth repeating.

More Than Just the French 75

Once you’ve got Top Shelf Select Gin in your rotation, the cocktail list becomes a choose-your-own-adventure. Whether it’s a gin martini on a quiet evening, a fizzy Tom Collins on a scorchy day, or even testing out your own infused concoctions with rosemary, peppercorns, or citrus peels—there’s no shortage of tasty roads to wander down.

And because the prep is simple—no distilling, just accurate measuring and a quality neutral spirit—it’s one of the smoothest starts for anyone looking to dip their toe into spirit making without turning it into a chemistry experiment.

Old World Taste, Backyard Built

The French 75 might’ve been born in Paris, but there’s something that feels just right about sipping one under Aussie skies with a shed-made gin. It tastes like tradition and pride and the quiet satisfaction of doing something properly.

Turns out, the best cocktails don’t start in a bar—they start in your back shed.

Cheers,
Candeece