Does your happy hour need some sweet and sour? This creamy, adults-only lemonade has it going on.
About the cocktail
Here at Dan’s Daily, we lurve a Gin Fizz. The foamy, fizzy classic has captured our hearts in all its vibrant variations – Sloe Gin, Matcha and Watermelon, to name just three – and we even made our own: a zingy apricot number, dubbed The Dan Murphizz. However, until today, we hadn’t celebrated the true OG, the beloved Ramos Gin Fizz. Created by Henry Charles Ramos way back in 1888, the Ramos Gin Fizz, AKA New Orleans Fizz, was an instant sensation. In fact, it was such a success that New Orleans bar, Imperial Cabinet Saloon, would require up to 20 bartenders, or ‘shaker boys’, just to keep up with demand. Even more during the city’s Mardi Gras festivities. That said, the Saloon’s method required 10 minutes of shaking. Talk about a workout! But don’t worry, we’ll let you off after a minute or two.
If you’re looking at the Ramos Gin Fizz thinking ‘boy, that sure looks creamy’, well, it is, but the beautiful thing is that it’s actually a surprisingly light and well-balanced cocktail. The glorious frothy richness is offset by the lemon-lime citrus combo and double shot of aromatic Old Tom gin. The Ramos Gin Fizz is a sweet and sour showstopper that might be best described as an elegant, adults-only lemonade with a soft, foamy, meringue-like topper.
Ingredients
60mL Old Tom gin (or London Dry)
15mL lemon juice 15mL lime juice 15mL sugar syrup 3 drops orange blossom water 1 egg white 30mL cream Soda, to top
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker Dry shake well (without ice) to emulsify the egg white (1 minute) Add ice and shake until the outside of the tin is frosty Carefully strain into a chilled glass Slowly pour dashes of soda down the inside of the glass to raise carefully raise the frothy head without destroying it
Dan’s top tips
Part of the fun of a Ramos Gin Fizz is the tall frothy head. Bartenders over the ages have concocted all sorts of methods for nailing it – some call for (much) longer periods of shaking, or even longer resting periods in the freezer, but this one cuts that prep time down and ensures you get a mega frothy head AND a properly chilled drink.
So, to maximise the height of the head, place the strained drink in the freezer for two minutes, or no longer than five, before slowly pouring soda down the inside of the glass. This method will barge the head significantly higher, having allowed the drink to ‘set’, while also keeping it nice and cold.
Another call-out is that the first ingredient that people choose to leave out of a Ramos Gin Fizz is the orange blossom water. However, this cocktail is not the same without it. Orange blossom water can be found in most supermarkets, in either the international aisle, or the baking section.If you don’t have Old Tom Gin (lighter, sweeter), it can be substituted for a London dry gin (dryer, more citrusy/botanical). Both options are delicious, but Old Tom helps retain that trademark delicacy of this classic cocktail.
