The French Blonde may have landed on cocktail menus thanks to a certain pop superstar, but this drink deserves attention well beyond the Swiftie universe. While reports linked the cocktail to Taylor Swift in 2024, I’ll simply say it served as a gentle nudge in my direction. I’m not exactly a card-carrying Swiftie, but I did make these for a gathering at our friends’ house—the Mays, who very much are—and once I looked at the ingredient list, I was fully on board.

Gin? Always welcome. Lillet Blanc? One of my favorite cocktail ingredients. St-Germain? Hard to resist. Add freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and suddenly this drink feels as though it was designed specifically for my palate. I used pink (ruby red) grapefruit juice but yellow grapefruit juice also works and would produce a more ‘blonde’ cocktail. Perhaps I should call this a ‘French Strawberry Blonde’?

The French Blonde is bright, citrusy, lightly floral, and beautifully balanced. It has just enough elegance to feel special without being fussy. Even better, it’s slightly lighter in alcohol than many classic cocktails, which makes it ideal for lingering summer evenings, brunches, or afternoons that accidentally turn into evenings.

Lillet Blanc deserves a quick introduction since it’s often less familiar than St-Germain. Produced in Bordeaux, France since the late 1800s, Lillet is a French aperitif wine with subtle citrus, honey, and herbal notes. It gives this cocktail its refined backbone and pairs especially well with grapefruit and gin.

For bitters, I used Fee Brothers Lemon Bitters, which required a worthy addition to our bitters collection. The lemon notes brighten the drink and pull everything together in a way that feels effortless.

The true test of any cocktail is whether people ask for another round. This one passed easily. Guests happily came back for seconds, and I understood why after the first sip. The French Blonde is refreshing, sophisticated, and just plain fun to drink.

And in a bit of amusing cocktail symmetry, I was technically born a French blonde myself—thanks to my French heritage and very blonde childhood hair. Sadly, the blonde disappeared sometime during college, but fortunately this version is much easier to maintain. My brother, Geoff T, and his children still meet both qualifications!

French Blonde

Citrusy, floral and refreshing

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Course Drink

Servings 1

Ingredients

2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice yellow or pink/ruby red
2 ounces Lillet Blanc
1 ounce gin see Notes
1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur such as St. Germain
3 dashes lemon bitters see Notes
Garnish: 1 grapefruit peel

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, add grapefruit juice, Lillet Blanc, gin, elderflower liquor and lemon bitters. Add ice cubes to the shaker.
Shake for about 15 seconds.
Pour into a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
Garnish with grapefruit peel.