The popular French Blonde Cocktail Recipe is a gin cocktail recipe made with a tart balance of the grapefruit juice and floral flavors. A delicious cocktail made popular recently by Taylor Swift at restaurant Rye near Kansas City.
Why You Will Love This Cocktail
Also called a redheaded French blonde cocktail, this gin cocktail gets is beautiful pink color and tart flavors from pink grapefruit juice and is balanced with crisp lillet blanc, st-germain elderflower liqueur, and dash of lemon bitters.
Now known as Taylor Swift’s favorite cocktail this is a perfect drink to make for happy hour and girls night.
The Eras tour performer brought attention to this classic cocktail which is now resurging in popularity.
This cocktail is perfect for special occasions, brunches, or any celebration where you want to impress your guests with a sophisticated and refreshing drink option.
Ingredients
Full quantities and recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Dry Gin – if you are not a fan of gin, vodka would also work
Elderflower Liqueur – the common brand of this is St. Germaine. The choice of elderflower liqueur can greatly impact the flavor of the cocktail. St-Germain is a popular and widely available option, known for its delicate floral aroma and sweet flavor.
Lillet Blanc – a French apéritif wine that smells of citrus. A French aperitif wine is typically served on its own before eating food and has a slightly bitter taste, which makes this French aperitif lillet blanc perfect to pair with the sweet and tart flavors in a floral French blonde cocktail recipe,
Grapefruit Juice – fresh grapefruit juice is best if you have it but bottled tastes great as well
Lemon Bitters – bitters is great at adding a touch of balance to the cocktail. Grapefruit or orange bitters could also work.
Lemon Twist – a piece of lemon rind twisted and placed on the glass rim to give a smell of bright citrus and release subtle lemon oils. You could also add a splash of lemon juice if you want to brighten up the drink a little.
Optional – edible flowers and/or a fresh herb like rosemary for garnish
With the floral flavors, pink grapefruit juice, and refreshing fruitiness of this cocktail, it is perfect for warmer months.
St. Germain elderflower liqueur is on the sweeter side. You can add more for a sweeter cocktail.
Making the Cocktail
No special equipment is needed. All you need is a cocktail shaker and a jigger for measuring. You could also use a glass instead of a shaker, and measuring spoons instead of a jigger.
Put all of the liquids for this French redhead cocktail in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake until very cold, at least 30 seconds.
Strain the dry gin mixture into your glass.
Serve in a coupe glass or martini glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist or lemon slices. Fresh herbs like a rosemary sprig is also a common garnish. Edible flowers would also be a beautiful touch!
FAQs
The French Blonde cocktail is made of elderflower liqueur, lillet blanc, gin, grapefruit juice, and bitters.
A French Blonde tastes primarily of grapefruit citrus with a subtle sweetness.
Lillet Blanc is a French aperitif wine. It smells of citrus.
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French Blonde Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
- Ice
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- 2 ounces lillet blanc
- 2 ounces grapefruit juice
- ¾ ounce elderflower liqueur
- 3 dashes lemon bitters or other citrus bitters
- lemon peel for garnish
- rosemary sprig or edible flowers, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Put the liquids in a shaker with a scoop of ice.
- Shake until very cold, approximately 30 seconds.
- Strain into a coupe or martini glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist, rosemary, and/or edible flowers.
I served this cocktail at happy hour and everyone enjoyed it. We especially enjoyed the addition of the elderflower liqueur! Cheers
A perfect drink for any social gatherings and some alone time for yourself. The flavors are immaculate, it is the one that i;ve been looking for it is worth it!