We'll try pretty much anything Taylor Swift wants us to. From her freshly baked chai tea sugar cookies to her go-to dinner party dish of spaghetti and meatballs, we Swifties are always armed and ready to replicate the pop star's favorite things. Her favorite cocktail is no exception.
For seemingly forever—or at least since she told Vogue in 2016—Swift's drink was a surprisingly simple vodka and Diet Coke. Then, in 2023, Delish credited her for bringing back the Cosmopolitan after she was photographed sipping the pink-hued cocktail while galavanting around New York City with her friends (could she be any more iconic?).
Rumor has it that Swift's newest drink of choice is even fancier.
While out in Kansas City with about eight girlfriends and wives of other Chiefs' players, Page Six reported that the singer-songwriter's drink of choice for the evening was a French Blonde.
"From our understanding, [that is] her favorite cocktail," Megan Garrelts, the co-owner of the restaurant, told the outlet. She added: "All the girls had cocktails, so it was definitely a lively girls night, which was fun to see."
So, what exactly is a French Blonde? And how can we make one for ourselves to sip while listening to "Lover" on repeat? Read on for the recipe for this elevated cocktail you enjoy at home.
What You Need
Getty / James Devaney
Sadly, this drink is not as simple as her original vodka Diet Coke order. Making the sophisticated French Blonde will require you to stock up your home bar with a few essentials. While the internet is full of varying versions of this signature drink, we love The Spritz Effect's recipe that went viral on TikTok because it offers simple substitutions if you don't have every ingredient on hand.
Here's what you need to make one French Blonde:
- 3/4 ounces of St. Germain (or any other elderflower liqueur)
- 1 ounce of a London dry gin (or whatever gin you have on hand)
- 2 ounces of grapefruit juice (they used freshly squeezed, but bottled works too)
- 2 ounces Lillet Blanc
- 3 dashes of lemon bitters (optional)
- A cocktail shaker
- A jigger
- A martini glass
The majority of ingredients can be found at your local liquor store, though the Lillet Blanc—a low-ABV aperitif used in drinks like James Bond's Vesper, to give you an idea—may require a trip to a more well-stocked liquor store or online order. However, Total Wine does carry it.
Lemon bitters are a little less essential, but it does add dimension to the drink. You can easily find them online (Free Brothers is a popular brand), or you can substitute them with lemon zest. According to My Bartender, you just have to strip a small peel of the zest and muddle it into the cocktail. This releases the bright, citrusy oils and gives the drink a similar effect to bitters.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Credit: Getty / Anton Dobrea
If you've ever whipped up any kind of at-home cocktail like a margarita or an Old Fashioned, the steps for a French Blonde will be familiar. However, instead of building it in a rocks glass or muddling ingredients in a shaker, this drink calls for shaking all the ingredients together and straining them into a martini glass.
Here's how to make it:
- In your cocktail shaker, combine the St. Germain, gin, grapefruit juice, Lillet Blanc, and lemon bitters (if using). Use your jigger to measure out the ingredients accurately. If substituting the lemon bitters for lemon zest, muddle the zest into the cocktail shaker or the base of your glass.
- Add ice to your cocktail shaker, filling it about halfway full.
- Securely place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. This will chill the drink while also combining all of the flavors together.
- Strain the drink into your martini glass.
- Serve and press play on your favorite Taylor Swift album.
Like all delicious cocktails, there are a thousand and one French Blonde variations you can play with. For example, you can use pink grapefruit juice instead of regular grapefruit juice and call it a Red Head à la Nerds With Knives. You can add a sprig of rosemary or a lemon twist as a garnish. You can even chill your martini glass ahead of time by placing it in your freezer for 30 minutes to two hours before serving to give the drink an extra refreshing touch.
However you decide to whip it up, two things are certain. Sipping on a French Blonde at home will make you feel like Taylor Swift, and the sophisticated name of this cocktail is bound to make it into one of her future lyrics. A "French Blonde in Kansas City" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
