Gin Fizz
Gin, lemon, sugar and soda, shaken and served short without ice. The nineteenth-century morning drink that is sharper and lighter than a Collins, and meant to be drunk fast.
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.
Chill a small highball or fizz glass; do not fill it with ice.
Add the gin, lemon juice and syrup (and egg white if making a Silver Fizz; dry shake first) to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Strain into the chilled glass with no ice, top with cold soda, and serve at once.
A thoughtful finish
- No ice in the glass. That is the difference between a fizz and a Collins; the drink is small, cold and quick.
- Shake hard. The fizz relies on the dilution and chill from the shake, since there is no ice in the glass to do it.
- Egg white turns it into a Silver Fizz, which is richer and keeps its head. Dry shake first, then with ice.
Common mistakes
- Building it over ice in a tall glass. That is a Tom Collins, a fine drink and a different one.
- Letting it sit. A fizz is dead in five minutes.
- Too much soda. Two ounces is a top, not a mixer.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Gin Fizz and a Tom Collins?
Ice and size. A Collins is built over ice in a tall glass and sipped; a fizz is shaken, strained into a small glass with no ice, topped with soda and drunk quickly.
What is a Ramos Gin Fizz?
The New Orleans version with egg white, cream, orange-flower water and a very long shake. It is a different and much more elaborate drink.
Silver, Golden or Royal Fizz?
Silver adds egg white, Golden adds egg yolk, Royal adds the whole egg. The plain Gin Fizz has none.
Can I make it with other spirits?
Yes: a Whiskey Fizz, a Rum Fizz and a Sloe Gin Fizz are all classic. The template is spirit, lemon, sugar, soda.
Variations
- Tom Collins — The same drink long, over ice.
- Sloe Gin Fizz — Sloe gin in place of gin.
- Golden Fizz — With egg yolk.
- French 75 — Gin, lemon, sugar and Champagne.
Where it comes from
1876 · United States · Jerry Thomas (first printed)
The fizz — a sour topped with soda — first appears in the 1876 edition of Jerry Thomas’s Bar-Tender’s Guide, and the Gin Fizz was the most popular of the family by the 1880s, a New Orleans morning drink taken standing at the bar. It is distinguished from the Collins by being served in a small glass without ice, to be drunk in a few swallows while the fizz lasts. Henry Ramos’s famous version of 1888, with egg white, cream and orange-flower water, is the elaborate cousin; the plain Gin Fizz is the original, and the Silver Fizz (egg white) and Golden Fizz (egg yolk) are the nineteenth-century variations.
Sources
- Jerry Thomas, The Bar-Tender's Guide (1876 edition), 1876 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 10.8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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