French Blond Cocktail
The French Blond is made with grapefruit, gin, Lillet and St-Germain. Rumored to be Taylor Swift's favorite cocktail, it's citrusy and floral.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 16, 2024
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Have you ever heard of a French Blond cocktail? Me neither, until last week! I read that it’s Taylor Swift’s favorite cocktail after she recently requested it at a local Kansas City restaurant called Rye. Once I saw the ingredients—grapefruit, gin, Lillet and elderflower, I knew I had to try it. It’s fantastic. The cocktail is well-balanced, citrusy and floral, not too strong and not too sweet.
I’m generally completely oblivious to both pop culture and football, to the point that when my husband came home from a charity event last year and told me he was on a team with Travis Kelce, I said, “Who is that?” But the funniest thing has happened now that Taylor is dating Travis. Suddenly, I’m fascinated by a couple I’ve never met, I’m paying attention to football, and I’m wondering, who am I? Am I a Swiftie now?
Maybe it’s the sheer proximity of it all, like I’ve been to Rye, where Taylor Swift supposedly ordered this cocktail! My friend’s mom saw Travis at the Apple Store the other day! My husband said that Travis was friendly and great with kids, and the only rumor I’ve heard about Taylor is that she is indeed very nice. Maybe it’s because they seem like a great match, so they remind me of when my husband and I started dating.
Maybe it’s because I, like all of Taylor’s fans, imagine that maybe we could be friends if we met in real life. How crazy is that? Taylor, we have cold Lillet in the fridge if you guys want to come by for a cocktail. Now I’ve really lost my mind. Anyway, go Chiefs!
French Blond Cocktail Ingredients
I looked through all of my cocktail books and couldn’t find the French Blond recipe in any of them. The details are vague, but my understanding is that this obscure drink does indeed hail from France. It’s been around since the 1920s (perhaps). If you love a French 75 or bright citrus and gin drinks like a Tom Collins, you have to try this one.
Here’s what you need to make a fantastic French Blond cocktail (and what you don’t). I’ve tried it with various proportions, and you’ll find my favorite version in the recipe at the bottom of the post.
Lillet Blanc
Lillet, pronounced lee-LAY, is a French aperitif wine fortified with a blend of citrus liqueurs. Lillet Blanc, the original variety, is made with a blend of white Bordeaux grapes. Its flavor is difficult to describe, but contains notes of flowers, candied oranges, honey, pine resin & exotic fruits.
Tip: Once opened, you must store Lillet in the refrigerator (same for vermouths, as they are all wines). Lillet will keep for up to one month. Let me tell you, I accidentally left Lillet open on the counter for a few days, and it ruined my next French Blond! Leftover Lillet makes a nice spritz with club soda and a squeeze of citrus.
Grapefruit Juice
Freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice generally yields the best flavor. You can typically squeeze enough juice from one large grapefruit for two of these cocktails. Grapefruit is in season during the winter, so there are some fun varieties available now. I tried several, and the MeloGold (label 3152) is fantastic, with a fragrant floral note that pairs beautifully with the gin and elderflower.
French Redhead Cocktail Variation: Make your cocktail with Ruby Red grapefruit or another red grapefruit, and you’ll end up with a beautiful pink drink called the French Redhead! I loved this option as well.
Gin
Hendrick’s gin is wonderful here. Hendrick’s botanical gin has notes of cucumber and rose, which blend well with our other ingredients. You could also use a dry London-style gin (I tried Kansas City’s Rieger brand), but the gin flavor is a little more present and a bit harsh.
St-Germain
St-Germain is a lovely elderflower liqueur. It’s sweet, so a little goes a long way. I don’t keep a lot of liqueurs around, but St-Germain is absolutely worth the shelf space and looks beautiful, too. You can also enjoy St-Germain in your French 75s in lieu of plain simple syrup.
Lemon Juice and Peel
Most French Blond cocktail recipes call for lemon bitters, but fresh lemon juice is much better. Believe me, I tried three different kinds of bitters, and even one drop dominates the flavor and crushes the subtle botanical notes that make this drink so special.
You’ll also need a twist of fresh lemon peel, which offers loads of lemon flavor. The trick is to twist the peel over the cocktail to release the citrus oil directly into the drink, then run it along the rim of the glass for lemon aroma in every sip.
More Gin Recipes to Try
These delightful gin cocktails are similarly citrusy and refreshing.
- Beautiful Red Bell Cocktail
- Bee’s Knees Cocktail
- Classic French 75 Cocktail
- Cucumber Elderflower Gimlet
- Tom Collins Cocktail
Please let me know how your cocktail turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
French Blond Cocktail
The French Blond is made with grapefruit, gin, Lillet and St-Germain. Rumored to be Taylor Swift’s favorite cocktail, it’s citrusy and floral. Recipe yields 1 cocktail; you can double the ingredients and shake 2 at once in a large cocktail shaker.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Lillet Blanc
- 2 ounces grapefruit juice
- 1 ounce gin (Hendrick’s recommended)
- ½ ounce St-Germain (elderflower liqueur)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 strip of lemon peel
Instructions
- Chill your coupe glass by filling it to the brim with ice and water. Set your glass aside.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the Lillet, grapefruit juice, gin, St-Germain and lemon juice. Securely fasten the lid and shake the mixture for about 20 seconds, or until the outside of the shaker is absolutely ice cold.
- Discard the ice water in your glass and gently shake out any stubborn water droplets. Strain the mixture into your prepared glass. Gently twist the lemon peel over the drink to release the oils, then lightly draw it over the rim of the glass before dropping it in. Enjoy.
Notes
Recipe roughly adapted from Saveur.
Ooh, this sounds good. Taylor has good taste!
She does!
Could anything be subbed for the Lillet Blanc? How long does Lillet Blanc last?
Hi Emily! It lasts for up to 1 month in fridge (definitely must be stored in the fridge to keep well). It is a key element to make a true French Blond, but gin/grapefruit/elderflower are lovely on their own right. I think you might be pleased with the drink made without the Lillet.
I find myself following them on social media and had never heard of Travis before this.lol
They seem like a genuinely nice couple so I’m rooting for them too. I’m definitely going to try this cocktail and enjoy it thinking of you and your hubby hanging out with our favorite celebrity couple.
They seem like a great match! Hope you enjoy the cocktail as much as I do (and Taylor does, assuming that the news was right!).
Loved this post! It really resonates with me. I love Taylor Swift’s music and don’t follow celebrity gossip but was definitely delighted watching the game and seeing her appear every so often today. Do you have any suggestions for a nonalcoholic version of this cocktail?
Thank you Kate! I love your blog and have your cookbook!
Hi Angela! I’m glad you enjoyed it. :) It’s fun to keep up with her and Travis. I can’t think of a non-alcoholic substitute for Lillet, but you might enjoy grapefruit juice with a splash of elderflower soda/lemonade (Whole Foods has some options).
Hi, Kate, love your recipes!
Do you think meyer lemon could be a good substitute for grapefruit here? My tree is overflowing and before I buy the associated products for the French Blond Cocktail, I’d like your input.
Thanks,
Walter
Thank you! How fun to have an abundance of Meyer lemons! I think they would be lovely in this drink. You might also like to use them in my Bee’s Knees cocktail (maybe with a touch less simple syrup since Meyers are more mellow).
I just made this for our Sunday brunch and it was delicious! I only had Lillet Rouge though so I made it with that and Ruby Red grapefruit. It was more of a ruby color instead of blonde but still super yummy!
I’d love to try your version! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, this sounds wonderful, however, I cannot drink grapefruit juice bc of a medication I am taking. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute juice? Thanks!
Hi Michelle! Someone else just asked if they could use Meyer lemons and that might be the best substitute since they’re more mellow than regular lemons (and they are in season right now). I wouldn’t do oranges. Actually, clementines might be nice!
Thank you so much! I will print out the recipe and make substitution notes! Unfortunately, grapefruit is a problem with many medications by interfering with their metabolism and altering blood levels of the drug.
I have the same problem, and being it’s my favorite winter fruit, I complained to my DR! She said, “1” grapefruit per week was fine!
So, there you go! 2 cocktails per week! ;-)
Ask your DR. first though!
Wow! Thanks! I’ll ask my doctor too!
Love this! For a bright pink version, you could try the Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose gin.
This is funny and relatable to me for 2 reasons. 1) I’m in the same boat as you in regards to Taylor and Travis. For no good reason, I’m fully invested. 2) I’ve always thought that if we met, you and I would be friends! Ha! Can’t wait to try the French Blonde… but tonight I’m making your best vegetable lasagna, again!
I love it! I’m sure we would be friends! Enjoy the lasagna!
This was delicious – I could only find ruby red grapefruits so used those. I also used Roku gin since that’s what I had on hand. With its yuzu flavor profile, I thought it’d work well. Yummy and well balanced! Loved this. Will definitely make again.
This is delicious! I made it for a few ladies for Happy Hour it was amazing! I more then doubled the recipe. How do I do measurements for pitcher?
OMG! I am sooo surprised. Never have had such a Treat! I have read about Lillet ,but never tried it. I am impressed. Give me more!
Thank you for your review, John!
So fresh!
This cocktail is so delicious! My daughter and I are enjoying it together tonight as we wait for Taylor’s newest album release at midnight.
I made this cocktail yesterday. Trying out a few new ones, as I’m having people over.loved the recipe!
Can I make a pitcher, and shake each one separately?
I prefer it best individually made. If you try a pitcher, let me know what you think!
Currently sipping this cocktail on the back porch. I’ve never had it before but it truly is fantastic!
Great to hear, Megan! I appreciate your review.