This fantastic Frenchie cocktail recipe is so delicious, not only because it contains refreshing citrus juice, but also because the gin and St. Germain liqueur are perfectly balanced!

This fantastic Frenchie cocktail is new for me. My first thought when I sipped it was, “Where have you been all my life?”
Then I remembered that I couldn’t have had this Frenchie cocktail sooner because it’s only recently that I’ve discovered St. Germain liqueur. The Châtelaine cocktail is another recipe that uses this delicious elderflower cordial!
If you’ve used St. Germain before, what do you usually make with it? I’d love to know, so leave me a comment.
I’ve read online that this delicious cocktail was named “The Frenchie” by someone in England because it calls for elderflower liqueur. Who knows if it’s true? I certainly don’t. Maybe because in the Englishman’s mind, French equals flowery equals sweet equals elderflower liqueur? Or maybe because St. Germain was French?
Maybe. So, what do you think? And if you know why it’s named the Frenchie cocktail, do tell!
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Helpful tips
- You can use either freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, or store bought. I prefer store bought because 1) it tastes so good and 2) you would need to squeeze a lot of grapefruits to make this drink, which is not cost effective.
- Use a mid-level gin as you really won’t be able to taste the difference
- There are a few elderflower liqueurs out here, but I like St. Germain because it doesn’t cost a lot of money and tastes amazing
- You can choose to either shake this cocktail or stir it. I love shaking because it creates micro-chips of ice from your ice cubes
How to make the Frenchie cocktail
Pre-step
Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice and cut a few grapefruit wedges and a wheel. Get a measuring glass and glassware.
After measuring out each ingredient, pour it into the shaker.
Step one
Gather the ingredients – gin, St. Germain liqueur and ruby red grapefruit juice.
Step two
Measure 4 ounces of gin.
Step three
Measure 1 ½ ounces St. Germain liqueur.
Step four
Measure 6 ounces of grapefruit juice.
Step five
Cap that cocktail shaker and shake it for 15 seconds before pouring the contents into the glasses. If you need a few more ice cubes, add them now.
Step six
Float a ½ slice of ruby red grapefruit in the wide glass and place wedges as garnish on the rim of each glass.
Vertical view.
And the overhead shot because the view is fine!
I hope you enjoyed this Frenchie cocktail recipe!
Other grapefruit juice cocktails
And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Fantastic Frenchie Cocktail
Ingredients
- 4 ounces gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
- 1.5 ounces St. Germain liqueur (or other elderflower liqueur)
- 6 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice
Garnish
- 2 ruby red grapefruit wedges
- ½ ruby red grapefruit wheel for martini glass
Instructions
Make it!
- Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add gin, St. Germain and grapefruit juice
- Cap shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Or stir vigorously with a cocktail spoon
- Pour the contents between the two glasses and add ice if needed, place a half wheel of grapefruit in the martini glass and garnish both rims with a grapefruit wedge.
- Sip
- Smile
- Enjoy
Notes
- You can use either freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, or store bought. I prefer store bought because you would need a lot of grapefruits to squeeze to make this and it isn’t cost effective
- Use a mid-level gin as you really won’t be able to taste the difference
- There are a few elderflower liqueurs out here, but I like this brand because it doesn’t cost a lot of money and tastes amazing
- You can choose to either shake this cocktail or stir it. I love shaking because the ice breaks up and you get little ice chips floating in your cocktail
Nutrition
Updated, but first published October of 2017
Maggie Unzueta
I would love to try this cocktail. Looks so refreshing.
Elaine
Thanks Maggie! It’s delicious!
Catherine
What an elegant cocktail and I just love the name!
Elaine
Thanks Catherine!
Joyce
I’ve seen the St Germain liquor in stores but never really had a reason to buy it but I was totally curious about the elderberry flavour! Now I have a reason to try this out! 🙂
Elaine
It’s sweet but not too sweet Joyce and pairs really well with gin!
Jenn
Sounds delicious and such a pretty color too!
Elaine
Thank you Jenn!
maria long
We are always looking for a new cocktail to serve at parties. You had me at ruby red…
Elaine
Lol Maria!! Yay. This truly is a fun and delicious one!
Helena
My hubby and I have just been discussing all kinds of drinks and what we would like to try next. We bought some wine a few days ago so it is all classic this weekend. However, it definitely needs to be gin and liqueur very soon because this recipe is just amazing! I also like how great the photos look with the right amount of light on details and at the same time keeping the background perfectly balanced! ????????
Elaine
Thanks so much Helena! I so appreciate it! 🙂
Laura
This Frenchie must be English as I never heard of it here in France, but then again my social drinking life is very limited so I cannot be trusted. I will check it out and let you know what I hear about the Frenchie in France
Elaine
Laura, I think someone in England invented it because of the Elderberry liqueur!
Tisha
Love that this is made with grapefruit! I don’t see that often! Yum!!!
Elaine
Thanks Tisha. It’s such a yummy cocktail!
Matt @ Plating Pixels
I’m a fan of cocktails but I’ve never use elderberry liquer. Will have to keep an eye out for it!
Elaine
Thanks, Matt. Elderberry liqueur, has such a lovely taste and really goes well with gin.
Ginny McMeans
Bottoms up is right! What a beautiful and refreshing drink. Love all the citrus.
Elaine
Thanks so much Ginny! 🙂
Heidy L. McCallum
What a delicious refreshing cocktail! After my day I will take 3 please.
Elaine
Hehe. Thanks Heidy! Have a lovely weekend.
Sandi
I am not a huge drinker, but I love Grapefruit in my drinks. The taste is just amazing.
Elaine
Thanks Sandi! I’m very fond of grapefruit anything!
Christopher Benoit
Love this combination of spirits. After tonic water, grapefruit juice may be the best thing that ever happened to gin!
Elaine
Hehe, Christopher! Thanks 🙂
Abigail Bechard
I have a whole story for you… so hang in there!
I threw a cocktail party for my husband’s birthday last night. I knew I wanted a good combo of options. But I’m not a big drinker at all, usually I’m ordering gin and tonic at a bar. So I knew I needed recipies I could trust. You had me at your gorgeous photos and details that helped me navigate the daunting liquor store.
I knew I wanted something I could serve from a pitcher to keep things moving… so I used your Cherry Margarita recipe with generous helping. Huge hit. We called it “Bowl Full Of Cherries Margarita” after a saying my husband uses frequently.
I knew we needed a chocolate martini because it’s his favorite drink. So we used yours with the caramel vodka. Huge hit. People were a little wary but always pleasantly surprised. I bought cheap plastic shot glasses and had samples going to let guests try. Great way to keep things moving.
Then we needed a strong standard to hold down the fort. So I chose the Bourbon Manhattan. I told the salesguy at Total Wine “I need a bourbon that’s cheap but makes me look like I know what I’m doing” He chose Watkins. Went over like a charm.
But the star of the night was the Frenchie! My husband is of French descent so when I saw the name I knew we needed it to close out the menu. Everyone was excited when they saw the grapefruit slices and I used a whole bottle of Bombay Sapphire. I was really surprised how well this one went over. But glad I chose it!
I thought you would enjoy the story of my victory. Yesterday was the first time I’d ever mixed a drink… you heard that right…. and it was a smashing success. Husband was happy, friends were happy and impressed… which makes me happy. Thank you!
Elaine
Abigail, I can’t even tell you what this comment meant to me. It really made my day. Thank you so much for liking my cocktails and sharing them with your friends and family! AND thank you oodles for sharing your fun and awesome story and taking the time to comment!
Sarah
Thanks for your yummy recipe! I do need to correct something though—it’s elderflower liqueur, not elderberry. Those are 2 totally different flavors. And the St Elder brand is $10-$15 a bottle cheaper and tastes just as good!
Elaine
Thank you so much for pointing that out, Sarah. I have to tell you the story about why elderberry made it into the post. I do know there are both elderflower and elderberry liqueurs, but hubby and I have played a multiplayer game online and his hunter character has a companion that is a bear, so he named it eldabeary, so the name seemed so natural to me. I wasn’t even thinking of elderflower which I prefer, because the name sounded right because of that bear.
After I write the recipe posts, hubby edits them and neither of us recognized this mistake. We both had a good laugh about the switch of words. And, thanks also for pointing out a good replacement for the elderflower liqueur. I tend to buy higher priced liquor/liqueur, but I should put in quality lower priced options as well.