French Blonde Cocktail

Sweet, fruity, and floral, the French Blonde cocktail is perfect for spring and summer gatherings. It’s made with fresh grapefruit juice, gin, St. Germain, and Lillet Blanc. So easy to prepare, yet it tastes so elegant! 

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What Is a French Blonde? 

A French Blonde cocktail is a sweet, fruity gin cocktail made with grapefruit juice, St. Germain, and Lillet Blanc (a fragrant fortified wine). A few dashes of lemon bitters keep the drink citrus-forward while balancing out the sweetness. 

No one really knows where the French Blonde originated, or when. Most agree that it’s a more modern cocktail since one of the key ingredients — St. Germain, an elderflower-flavored liqueur — was created in 2007. 

However, gin cocktails have been popular in one form or another since the 18th century and they’re constantly evolving. 

Don’t confuse the French Blonde with the “Parisian Blonde” cocktail, which is made with rum, cream, and curaçao. Two different drinks, with similar names! 

What Does a French Blonde Cocktail Taste Like? 

The French Blonde cocktail is fresh, floral, and fruity with herbaceous undertones.

I like to add a little fresh rosemary to my cocktail and also garnish it with rosemary, but this is my personal twist and may be omitted if you don’t have any on hand. 

Tools Needed to Make a French Blonde

This grapefruit and gin cocktail can be made using just a few basic cocktail-making tools: 

• Citrus juicer — Look for one that is large enough to accommodate a grapefruit half, or use a citrus reamer.
• Jigger —  For measuring out the ingredients. 
• ​​Cocktail Muddler — To muddle the fresh rosemary.
• Cocktail Shaker — A French Blonde is shaken, not stirred. 
• Fine Mesh Cocktail Strainer — To double strain the cocktail. 
• Coupe or Nick and Nora glass — The traditional choice for serving this cocktail, but you can use any glass you have on hand. 

French Blonde Cocktail Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this light and fruity grapefruit, gin, and St. Germain cocktail: 

• Fresh Rosemary (optional)
• Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• Lillet Blanc
• Gin
• St. Germain
• Lemon Bitters
• Lemon Twist (for garnish) 

What Is Lillet Blanc? What Does It Taste Like? 

Lillet Blanc is a fortified wine, AKA a blend of white wines that have been flavored with fruit liqueurs made from sweet, bitter, and green oranges. The entire concoction is aged in oak barrels for a year before hitting the market. 

The flavor of Lillet Blanc is distinctly floral, with additional notes of orange and honey. It’s slightly acidic, but still quite sweet. 

What Is Gin? What Does It Taste Like? 

Gin is a  distilled spirit made from fermented grains. To achieve gin’s signature flavor, it’s infused with botanicals — always juniper berries, but different kinds of gin use additional botanicals as well.  

The three main types of gin to know of are: 

• London Dry Gin: Very dry, but aromatic and tastes strongly of juniper. 
• Plymouth Gin: Lighter than London Dry Gin and more citrus-forward in flavor. 
• Old Tom Gin: The sweetest of the three. Almost exclusively used for making Tom Collins cocktails. 

What Is St. Germain? What Does It Taste Like? 

St. Germain is a French elderflower liqueur. Each bottle requires up to 1,000 elderflower blossoms, so the flavor is definitely floral-forward yet still quite delicate and sweet. It’s an aperitif, meaning it’s meant to be sipped before a meal to stimulate the appetite. 

How to Make a French Blonde Cocktail

This simple grapefruit and gin cocktail couldn’t be easier to prepare! 

1. Prepare the lemon twist garnish. Set aside.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. 
3. Measure the Lillet Blanc, grapefruit juice, gin, St. Germain, lemon bitters, and rosemary leaves into the shaker.
4. Secure the lid on top of the shaker and shake vigorously for a full 30 – 40 seconds. 
5. Double strain the cocktail mixture into chilled glasses.
6. Garnish with fresh rosemary and a lemon twist. Serve immediately.

The above is simply a quick summary of this French Blonde recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Garnish Ideas

The French Blonde cocktail can be garnished with one or more of the following: 

• Lemon twist
• Grapefruit slice
• Fresh rosemary

Make-Ahead Instructions 

This is a wonderful cocktail to pre-mix in advance and keep in the fridge until ready to shake and serve. 

To make the mixture in advance, simply stir everything together in a pitcher (measure in parts rather than ounces if making a big batch) and refrigerate.

When ready to pour the drinks, shake each serving individually with ice before double straining and enjoying. 

French Blonde Recipe FAQs

Got questions about how to make a french blonde cocktail? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

What is the best gin to use? 

You’ll want to use a Plymouth or London gin in this cocktail. Both will work, it just depends on your flavor preferences. My two favorite gin brands are Hendrick’s and Beefeater. 

Is a French blonde shaken or stirred? 

The French Blonde drink is always shaken. 

What type of glass is a French Blonde served in? 

It should be served in a Nick and Nora glass or a coupe glass. 

Is the cocktail served over ice? 

No, it’s not served over ice. That’s why it’s important to chill the glasses in the freezer for about 5 minutes before making the cocktails. 

Can I make a pitcher French blonde cocktail? 

Absolutely! Simply measure the cocktail ingredients in parts rather than in ounces to make however much you want. 

Can I omit the fresh rosemary? 

Sure thing! The rosemary is my special addition to the cocktail.  I like the pairing of rosemary and grapefruit and think it adds a nice herbaceous note to balance the fruitiness. However, it may be omitted if you don’t have any on hand. 

What can I substitute for gin? 

If you don’t have or don’t like gin, try using vodka instead for a different take on this drink.

What to Serve with a French Blonde Cocktail

The grapefruit and elderflower notes in this cocktail make it ideal for spring and summer gatherings, such as potlucks, picnics, and garden parties. Try pairing the cocktail with one or more of the following nibbles: 

• Finger foods: cucumber watercress sandwiches, almond croissants, cucumber rolls, berry lettuce cups, prosciutto and asparagus puff pastry tarts, and mango salsa. 
• Entrees: crustless broccoli quiche, tarragon chicken salad, quiche Lorraine, coconut chia pudding parfaits, and ham egg muffins. 
• Salads: citrus fennel salad, cold asparagus salad, and zucchini tomato salad. 
• Desserts: lemon ricotta cake, lemon curd pavlova, strawberries and cream, rhubarb coffee cake, and strawberry galette. 

Try Making a French Blonde Cocktail at Home! 

Next time you’re looking for a Lillet Blanc or St. Germain cocktail, give this French Blonde recipe a try! 

Did you think it was the perfect grapefruit cocktail? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.

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More Fruity Gin Cocktails:  

Blush pink in color and deliciously sweet-tart in flavor, the Floradora is the perfect gin cocktail for spring or summer. It’s a simple drink that uses just 4 ingredients, but the taste is showstopping! Read on to learn all about the floradora cocktail.

This Spooky Gin Spritz is a super easy cocktail to make for Halloween – this lemon and raspberry cocktail is a tart and fruity cocktail with plenty of spritz thanks to the sparkling water. Serve this raspberry gin cocktail with dry ice for fun effects in your Halloween gin cocktail! 

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