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This summer, we've decided our cocktail of choice is the French 75. Parallels from current political and social climate aside, I swear we didn't pick this one because I'm French and feeling revolution-y. Truly, it's because I'm on a gin kick. If you've never had a French 75, it's champagne, gin, simple syrup, and lemon served over ice. It is insanely refreshing; therefore, it's the perfect summer drink between the fizzy bubbles, tart lemon, and smooth gin finish. If you hate gin, chances are, you're just not drinking the right gin. A good gin shouldn't leave you wondering if you just drank Lysol or a liquefied Christmas tree. A good gin should leave you wondering if it's time to buy a new car or invest in a better 401(k). Basically, it should leave you feeling like a very classy adult with very excellent taste. Since I wanted to be able to achieve this feeling more than once every 7 days for my weekly scheduled single Saturday night cocktail, I decided to turn the French 75 into edible form.

Summertime, and the livin's gin-y.

Topped with candied lemons and filled with plenty of alcohol, these French 75 cupcakes allow me to achieve peak adulthood while still being able to enjoy myself like a child. It's a magical balance, thanks largely in part to the champagne and the champagne cream cheese frosting coming together to create a dessert that's as classy as it is fun. The texture is light and airy thanks to the bubbles, and the lemon give a nice zip of tartness to a sweet and smooth flavor left by the gin. I'm having a hard time eating them in a single serving. Especially since I chose low calorie boozes and these cupcakes are only 129 calories a piece (24 total). A wise Ron Swanson once said, "Clear alcohols are for rich women on diets," and I simply couldn't agree more. They're also deceptively easy to make, even the candied lemons! I found a strategy to candy them that is both quick and foolproof, so get ready to whip up a batch of these magnificent, tasty cupcakes in like an hour and a half total.

Ryan Reynold's Aviation Gin is as much a Canadian treasure as the man himself.

Along with a quick prep time, the ingredients list is also extremely straightforward. You need:

• 1 box of sugar free yellow cake mix (or sugar free white cake mix if you can find it! This would let the flavors of the alcohol shine through more)
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp of lemon extract or juice from 1/2-1 lemon to taste
  
• 1 cup of a sweeter champagne (I used Martini & Rossi Asti)
• 1/4 of good gin--Aviation, Hendricks, or the Botanist. Stay away from Bombay and Tanqueray. These are inferior gins!

To make, preheat your oven to 350 and line two muffin tins with cupcake papers. Mix together all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium-high for 2 minutes.

Soon, you will be perfect.

I use a cookie scoop (a little larger than a tablespoon), and plop two drops of batter into each cupcake liner. This is the easiest and least messy way to deal with cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cakes have a nice blonde color to them and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. At this point, turn the oven off so it can cool down enough for the candied lemons.

I wish I looked this good after a 20-minute prep time.

Let your cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to completely cool on a cooling rack. Admire them from afar as you make your frosting and candied lemons.

This really could not be any easier, I swear.

For the candied lemons, you need a couple medium-sized lemons and some lemon drop candies. Preheat your oven to 275.

Slice each lemon thinly until you have at least 12 slices. Cut these slices in half for 24 slices total.

Now, the fun part. Take about 10 lemon drops, and smash them up! I used a Ziplock and my meat tenderizer, crushing into fine pieces. Then I placed Parchment down on a large baking sheet and placed all my lemon slices in a single layer. I sprinkled the crushed candy on top of each lemon, rubbing in the pieces and ensuring the rinds got plenty of candy on them.

It looks weird, but it works.

Now, bake this for 45-50 minutes at 275. Check on them around the 40 minute mark--if you've sliced them super duper thin, they won't take that long for the candy to melt and, well, candy the lemons. The rinds should be soft, and the middle of the lemon should be almost transparent. Remove these from the tray right away so they don't get stuck to the paper. I let mine cool off on a cooling rack until completely hardened. These are still quite tart compared to a traditional candied lemon, but those take about 3+ hours to make, so pick your battles. I will say the lemon drop melted on the lemon adds a nice bit of sweetness to the point that it feels like you're having a glass of lemonade when you eat one. You could also try doing this with 1/4 cup of regular sugar in lieu of the crushed candies for an even sweeter result.

Plus, they're super pretty.

The thinner the slices, the more crunchy and candied they will taste. Everything is completely edible, even the rind, this way.

Champagne pairs surprisingly well with cream cheese. Thanks, science experiment gone right!

I wasn't sure if cream cheese and champagne would work together. Sure, a glass of champagne with a charcuterie board is my idea of a perfect meal, but I'm talking Gouda and Havarti, not soft and tangy cream cheese. Thankfully, my original opinion needed not apply because these two make an amazing frosting. For the champagne cream cheese you need:

• 8 ounces of 1/3 fat cream cheese at room temp
• 1/2 cup of reduced fat butter at room temp
• 4 cups of Lakanto powdered monkfruit sweetener
• 2 tsp champagne
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp gin

This is not a stiff frosting; if you're looking for something that will crust or pipe in very intricate shapes, you'll want to add in 1/4 cup of shortening or 1/2 cup of additional butter. This is a nice, smooth frosting that will pipe simple shapes (see below), but needs to be kept in the fridge.

Start by whipping the butter and cream cheese for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in half the Lakanto and the champagne, mixing well. Add in the rest of the Lakanto, the gin, and the lemon extract, mixing well. If you're simply slapping on the frosting and calling it a day, go ahead and frost the (completely cooled) cupcakes. If you want to pipe a simple design, put the frosting (still in the bowl) into the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to firm back up.

Swirls and flowers can be achieved if the frosting is cold.

After letting it firm back up, I loaded half my frosting into a piping bag with a 1M tip. I left the other half in the fridge. I piped a simple small traditional whirl on about 3/4 of the cupcake's surface, then piped three little flowers in the leftover surface. I did about half this way. I reloaded my bag and finished the other half with larger traditional whirls only. Once piped, take a cooled candied lemon slice and wiggle into the center of every whirl:

*Chef's kiss*

So, so summery!

I really like how both designs turned out.

But this right here, is absolutely the most perfect whirl I have ever made in 5+ years of cake decorating. LOOK AT IT!

Adorable, summery decorations aside, these are the most refreshing cupcakes I've ever tasted. I know I've been bagging on anything that isn't a cheesecake lately, but these turned out so much better than I imagined they would in initial recipe creation phase. The cakes are so light and fluffy, and the frosting is the perfect balance of sweet meets tart and refreshing thanks to the lemon extracts and champagne. Everything finishes with this insanely smooth, mellow flavor blend thanks to the gin. With good gin, all things are possible. Plus there's a nice little kick from that candied lemon to boot. It had been awhile since I spent the afternoon baking, and it was a welcome change to unplug from *gestures wildly* all of this, and just focus on doing something I absolutely love and enjoy. 2020 may be a giant dumpster fire, but I'm gonna keep things as classy as I can with the help of the liquid and solid forms of the French 75. Mais oui! 'Til next time, fellow eaters.

French 75 cocktail? Check. French 75 cupcake? Check. I am having my cake and drinking it, too!