Ep. 129 Back to Basics: All in the family with the French 75 (Ep. 17 re-run)

Welcome back to our January rerun series! For today’s spotlight, I’m thrilled to revisit Episode 17, where we dive into the elegant and effervescent French 75. One of my ALL time favorites and my go to welcome cocktail to serve when hosting parties.  I chose the French 75 for this rerun because it’s a brilliant riff on the classic Sour cocktail—that timeless combination of spirit, citrus, and sweetener. What makes the French 75 stand out, though, is its use of sparkling wine as a mixer or lengthener. The addition of bubbles transforms the structure of the drink, making it light, festive, and perfect for celebrations or any time you want to elevate your cocktail experience.  By mastering the French 75, you’re stepping into the world of the Collins family of drinks. The Collins family is all about taking the basic sour template and “lengthening” it with something fizzy—traditionally club soda, but as the French 75 shows, sparkling wine is a fantastic twist. Other drinks in this family include the Tom Collins, John Collins, and Vodka Collins—each swapping out the base spirit or bubbly for different flavors and personalities.  And while we're here, it's worth tipping our hat to the Mojito. Though technically not a Collins, the Mojito follows a remarkably similar template: spirit (rum), citrus (lime), sweetener (sugar), and a bubbly lengthener (soda), plus the refreshing addition of mint. It’s a great example of how understanding the Collins structure empowers you to spot and create variations across cocktail families—even when they hail from different traditions or use different techniques.  As you listen (or re-listen) to Episode 17, think about how the French 75 not only showcases the versatility of the sour formula, but also invites you to play with sparkling ingredients in your cocktails. Once you get comfortable with this style, a whole world of bubbly, refreshing drinks is yours to explore.  Cheers to new adventures in the Collins family, and to a sparkling start to the new year! Thinking about purchasing a Klaris ice machine? Go to craftKLARIS.com and use the code AOD10 for 10% OFF your purchase. Trust us, you won’t regret it ;-)   Klaris IG: @craftklaris Website: www.craftklaris.com    The Art of Drinking  IG: @theartofdrinkingpodcast   Website: www.theartofdrinkingpodcast.com     Join Jules  IG: @join_jules  TikTok: @join_jules   Website: joinjules.com    Uncle Brad   IG: @favorite_uncle_brad    This is a Redd Rock Music Podcast  IG: @reddrockmusic  www.reddrockmusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices