Fizz (cocktail)

Fizz

Cocktail
Type	Cocktail family
Common alcohol(s)	Gin Whiskey Rum

A "fizz" is a mixed drink variation on the older sours family of cocktail. Its defining features are an acidic juice (such as lemon or lime) and carbonated water.

History

The first printed reference to "fiz" is in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's Bartender's Guide, which contains six such recipes. The fizz became widely popular in America between 1900 and the 1940s. Known as a hometown specialty of New Orleans, the gin fizz was so popular that bars would employ teams of bartenders that would take turns shaking the drinks. Demand for fizzes went international at least as early as 1950, as evidenced by its inclusion in the French cookbook L'Art Culinaire Francais published that year.^[1]

Gin fizz

Gin fizz

IBA official cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume	Gin
Served	On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish	lemon slice
Standard drinkware	Old Fashioned glass
IBA specified ingredients	4.5 cl Gin 3 cl fresh lemon juice 1 cl Gomme syrup 8 cl soda water
Preparation	Shake all ingredients with ice cubes, except soda water. Pour into glass. Top with soda water.
Gin fizz recipe at International Bartenders Association

A gin fizz is the best-known cocktail in the fizz family. A gin fizz contains gin, lemon juice, and sugar, which are shaken with ice, poured into a tumbler and topped with carbonated water.^[2] The drink is similar to a Tom Collins, with a possible distinction being a Tom Collins historically used "Old Tom Gin" (a slightly sweeter precursor to London Dry Gin), whereas the kind of gin historically used in a gin fizz is unknown.^[3]

Simple variations on the gin fizz are

• Silver fizz – addition of egg white
• Golden fizz – addition of egg yolk
• Royal fizz – addition of whole egg
• Diamond fizz – sparkling wine instead of carbonated water, more commonly known as a "French 75".
• Green fizz – addition of a dash of green crème de menthe
• Purple fizz - with Sloe gin and grapefruit juice (instead of gin and lemon juice)

Ramos gin fizz

Ramos fizz

IBA official cocktail
Ramos Gin Fizz at the Bourbon O Bar, New Orleans
Type	Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume	Gin
Served	Straight up; without ice
Standard drinkware	Collins glass
IBA specified ingredients	4.5 cl gin 1.5 cl fresh lime juice 1.5 cl fresh lemon juice 3 cl simple syrup 6 cl cream 1 egg white 3 dashes orange flower water 2 drops vanilla extract Soda water
Preparation	All ingredients except the soda are poured in a mixing glass, dry shaken (no ice) for two minutes, then ice is added and shaken hard for another minute Strained into a highball glass without ice and topped with soda

A Ramos gin fizz (also known as a "Ramos fizz" or "New Orleans fizz") contains gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream, orange flower water, and soda water. It is served in a large non-tapered 12 to 14 ounce Collins glass.^[4]

The orange flower water and egg significantly affect the flavor and texture of a Ramos, compared to a regular gin fizz. The key to making this egg cocktail is dissolving the sugar before adding ice; the sugar acts as an emulsifier, and it and the alcohol "cook" the egg white.^[5]

Henry C. Ramos invented the Ramos gin fizz in 1888 at his bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloon on Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. It was originally called a "New Orleans fizz", and is one of the city's most famous cocktails. Before Prohibition, the drink's popularity and exceptionally long 12-minute mixing time^[6] had over 20 bartenders working at the Imperial at once making nothing but the Ramos gin fizz - and still struggling to keep up with demand. During the carnival of 1915, 32 staff members were on at once, just to shake the drink.

The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans also popularized the drink, abetted by Governor Huey Long's fondness for it. In July 1935, Long brought a bartender named Sam Guarino from the Roosevelt Hotel to the New Yorker Hotel in New York City to teach its staff how to make the drink so he could have it whenever he was there. The Museum of the American Cocktail has newsreel footage of this event. The Roosevelt Hotel group trademarked the drink name in 1935 and still makes it today.

Sloe Gin Fizz

Sloe gin fizz

Cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Served	On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish	grapefruit slice, maraschino cherry
Standard drinkware	Highball glass
Commonly used ingredients	6 cl sloe gin 3 cl fresh grapefruit juice 1 cl simple syrup 8 cl soda water 1 egg white (optional)

A traditional sloe gin fizz contains sloe gin (a blackthorn plum flavored spirit), grapefruit juice, simple syrup, egg white, and carbonated water. A popular alternative eliminates the egg white.^[7] The original recipe is made with grapefruit juice, because of the mixing of recipes you will find many recipes with lemon juice.

Uncommon variations

• Whiskey fizz – American blended whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon-lime soda
• Meyer lemon fizz – uses the sweeter Meyer lemon instead of normal lemon, and adds orange juice
• Manhattan cooler – scotch, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon-lime soda
• Chicago fizz – rum, port wine, lemon juice, sugar, and egg white
• Buck's fizz
   IBA 
  (and variant mimosa
   IBA 
  ) – champagne, orange juice, sometimes grenadine
• Japanese gin fizz – a standard gin fizz with a shot of lychee liquor added
• Sour melon fizz – gin, lime juice, midori and ginger ale

See also

• List of cocktails with gin

References

Notes

External links

The Wikibook Bartending has a page on the topic of: Gin Fizz

The Wikibook Bartending has a page on the topic of: Ramos Gin Fizz

• Ramos Gin Fizz in the NY Times
• New Orleans' best cocktails: The Ramos Gin Fizz by bartender Chris McMillan