Brunch cocktails rarely stray from classic Bloody Marys and mimosas. We at TABLE, however, are offering a new drink to pair with your boozy breakfasts, The Cantaloupe 75.
How is This Cocktail Different from a normal French 75?
Riffed from the traditional, bubbly French 75, the Cantaloupe 75 features a homemade cantaloupe simple syrup. It makes for a delicious, mildly-sweet cocktail that is the perfect lead-in to a big Sunday brunch. The regular French 75 has no fruit in it, only gin, sparkling wine, and lemon juice. This one takes it up a notch with the addition of melon. For your sparkling wine, it also could pay off to use one that already has melon tasting notes, like this 2022 Bianco Petillant Naturel from Channing Daughters Winery. You’ll want to keep the Cantaloupe 75 your arsenal for spring and summer, too!

Cantaloupe 75: A French 75 Twist
Description
A twist on a French 75.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz gin
- 3/4 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz cantaloupe syrup
- Sparkling wine
- Cantaloupe and thyme, for garnish
Instructions
For the syrup:
- Simmer 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, and 2 cups cubed cantaloupe for 10 minutes.
- Let cool. Strain into a jar.
- Add a sprig of fresh thyme.
- Keeps up to a month in the refrigerator.
For the cocktail:
- Add the gin, lemon juice, and syrup to a shaker and shake with ice.
- Pour the shaken mixture into a stemmed champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.
- Garnish and enjoy your twist on a traditional French 75!
Recipe by Maggie Weaver
Photography by Dave Bryce
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