Fizz: A Bubbly Way to Imbibe S ometimes, a regular cocktail just won’t do. For those times, a Fizz is surely in order. There are quite...
Fizz: A Bubbly Way to Imbibe
Sometimes, a regular cocktail just won’t do. For those times, a Fizz is surely in order. There are quite a few varieties of Fizz cocktails out there, a twist on the traditional sour-style of cocktail. In order to properly be classified as a Fizz, your drink needs lemon or lime juice along with carbonated water, adding the mystique of bubbles to dance upon your palate.
But adding these elements isn’t the only thing that makes a Fizz. It holds a rich history that stems from the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas’s Bartender’s Guide. Within these pages, there are six Fizz recipes. These would become intensely popular in America from 1900 to around 1940. While it was popular all over, it is regarded as the specialty of New Orleans. Among these six Fizz variations, the Gin Fizz was the most popular. It has been said that back in those times, there were teams of bartenders hired to keep up with the demand for shaking up these fizzy concoctions.
Of all the Fizz cocktails, the Gin Fizz is the most famous. To make it, you combine gin, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and sugar. Shake these together with ice, pour into a tumbler and fill the remainder of the glass with carbonated water. It is remarkably similar to the old standby, Tom Collins, however it was a hint sweeter than the Gin Fizz, perhaps due to the type of gin utilized to create it.
This New Orleans bar staple has had many variations added to it throughout the years. For a Silver Fizz, an egg white is added to the recipe. A Golden Fizz means the addition of the yolk. For a Royal Fizz, add an entire egg. A Diamond Fizz, or French 75, is a fancier version which uses sparkling wine in place of carbonated water.
The Ramos Gin Fizz which also goes by the monikers of Ramos Fizz or New Orleans Fizz is one to try when you’re in The Big Easy. It features, gin, lime juice, lemon juice, an egg white, sugar, cream, orange flower water, and soda water. For those of you that might be put off by drinking a libation with egg white in it, the sugar emulsifies it and the alcohol cooks it, leading to a distinctive texture and flavor that aficionados should give a try.
A man by the name of Henry C. Ramos created this version of the Gin Fizz in his bar called the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans back in 1888. Visit New Orleans and ask a local and you’ll hear all about it. It is regarded as one of the most famous drinks in the city. The shaking time on this drink required 12 minutes, making it an exercise in patience for the patrons and actual exercise for the bartenders.
If you’re visiting New Orleans soon, the Roosevelt Hotel group trademarked the Ramos Gin Fizz in 1935 and is a place you can most certainly enjoy it if you truly want to shake things up and feel the true vibe of New Orleans.
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