Alabama Fizz
Gin, lemon, sugar and soda, shaken, with two sprigs of mint. The Savoy's Gin Fizz with mint — a Southside in a fizz glass, and the summer fizz that deserves to be better known.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Strain into a chilled highball glass without ice.
Top with chilled soda water, slap two mint sprigs and drop them in.
A thoughtful finish
- Slap the mint, do not muddle it; the scent is the point.
- A fizz is served without ice and drunk quickly.
- A few mint leaves in the shake make it closer to a Southside Fizz.
Common mistakes
- Muddling the mint into the drink.
- Flat soda.
- Bottled lemon.
A few good questions.
What does an Alabama Fizz taste like?
A Gin Fizz — tart, light and bubbly — with fresh mint on the nose.
Why Alabama?
The Savoy did not say; mint and gin were a Southern pairing.
How is it different from a Southside?
The Southside is shaken with lime and mint and served up; this is a lemon fizz with soda and mint sprigs.
Can I add egg white?
Yes; it becomes a minty Silver Fizz.
Variations
- Gin Fizz — Gin, lemon, sugar and soda.
- Southside — Gin, lime, sugar and mint.
- Mojito — Rum, lime, sugar, mint and soda.
- Tom Collins — Gin, lemon, sugar and soda over ice.
Where it comes from
c. 1930 · London · Savoy Hotel
The Alabama Fizz is in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 as a Gin Fizz — gin, the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoon of sugar, shaken, topped with soda — with ‘two sprigs of fresh mint’ added, which is all that separates it from the plain fizz and all it needs. Why Alabama is not recorded; the Savoy named drinks for American places freely, and mint and gin were a Southern pairing. It sits between the Gin Fizz and the Southside (gin, lime, sugar and mint, shaken up) and the Mojito’s gin cousins, and it is a better drink than the Gin Fizz for anyone who likes mint: the sprigs are slapped and dropped in rather than muddled, so the scent is on the nose rather than in the glass.
Sources
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Alabama Fizz, 2015 (reference)
- Erik Ellestad, Savoy Stomp, 2008 (blog)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 13.4% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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