This classic Gin Fizz cocktail recipe is sometimes overlooked for the Gin and Tonic! Lemony, fresh, and frothy, there is a reason it’s remained on the classic cocktail list for over a century.
What is a Fizz?
The category of fizz cocktails is one of the first printed recipes found in Professor Jerry Thomas’s iconic Bartender’s Guide of 1876. He suggested making it with either Holland Gin, Old Tom Gin, Whiskey, Brandy and Rum. The Gin Fizz seems to have been the one to garner the most popularity and we are still drinking it today!
What is the Gin Fizz?
The Gin Fizz recipe made an appearance in The Flowing Bowl by William Schmidt in 1892. It also was imbibed across the pond in London, found in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book and in the French cookbook L’Art Culinaire Francais.
It was a favorite recipe in New Orleans, the Gin Fizz was rumored to be so popular that many bars had “Gin Fizz making only” bartenders – just to keep up with demand.
According to the great drinks historian, David Wondrich, the Gin Fizz was known as the great hangover cure from the late 19th century to the mid 2000’s!
Originally the classic gin fizz recipe was a combination of gin, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup (sugar syrup) – all topped with soda water. It’s the same ingredients as the Tom Collins but shaken, not stirred, served without ice and in a short glass.
In the modern era, we have taken to adding egg whites to give it a foamy top and smoother mouthfeel. You can add it in or leave it if you wish. According to Jerry Thomas, adding the egg white made it into the cocktail that he called the Silver Fizz!
For vegans, you can always substitute Aquafaba for raw egg, but more on that below!
How to Make the Gin Fizz
You need to start with really great ingredients to make the Gin Fizz. There are only a few ingredients and you want this cocktail to shine! I prefer a London Dry Gin, like Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray, but if there is one you love, use it!
Fresh ingredients are so important – so please, please, please use fresh lemon juice! I love this lemon squeezer which has holes on the bottom that fit right over the jigger, making it super easy to get the perfect amount of lemon.
I make my own sugar syrup. It takes about 2 minutes. Just measure out half of a cup (100ml) of white sugar into a pot and add the same amount of water. Heat until dissolved, let it cool, then pour into a glass container. It can keep in the fridge for months.
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Egg White vs Aquafaba
Aquafaba is name of the liquid that you can find when you open a can of chickpeas, so it’s totally vegan. This starchy water replicates the mouthfeel of the egg white in cocktails. The measurements are 2 tablespoons of Aquafaba for one egg white.
Top Tip(ple)🍸: Always add in the spirit last. Just in case you made a mistake, you don’t want to waste any of that precious liquid. I always promote the use of the best spirits on the market. Don’t skimp! Invest in a good spirit and your cocktail will always be so much better.
What tools you need to make the Gin Fizz
For the Gin Fizz, you have to have a cocktail shaker or no foam! Since you don’t want to lose any foam, I would suggest to go with the 2 part shaker. I love the Cocktail Kingdom shaker – all their products are so great! Don’t forget you will need a Koriko Hawthorn strainer – this one makes sure you don’t miss a drop of the foam! Of course, a thermos or jam jar will work as well!
You’ll also need jigger, a barspoon, and chilled highball glasses for this Gin Fizz recipe.
Don’t forget the Dry Shake!
Before adding the ice cubes, close the shaker and shake it as hard as you can with just the gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white (or aquafaba). Shaking a cocktail with an egg white, at room temperature without the ice, makes it extra foamy, thus the Dry Shake!
Next fill the shaker with ice. Make sure your ice is fresh, since it can absorb the odors in your freezer. You don’t want your cocktail tasting like your leftovers!
How to Make the Gin Fizz
Once you have your ingredient checklist, it’s a pretty easy recipe. First separate your egg white and egg yolk and save it for a creme caramel. Then combine gin, the egg white, the sugar syrup and the lemon juice together. Do the dry shake and then add the ice and then shake again. Strain it all into a tall glass with ice and then top up with cold club soda or sparkling water. Then garnish with a lemon slice or lemon peel or lemon round or lemon wedge!
- Top Tip(ple)🍸:
- You can always add a bit of lime juice to tarten things up a bit more
- Add a splash of orange blossom water to make it a bit exotic
My favorite gins for the Gin Fizz!
I think a traditional London Dry Gin works well with and I have tried all of these below and they really are my fav for the Gin Fizz!
You can find all the ingredients at Spirits Kiosk (10% off the entire site by quoting this code: ALushLife10SK.) in the UK; or Saucey.com in the USA!
Where to find more gin and lemon recipes
Here is the recipe!
Gin Fizz
Ingredients
- 2 oz Gin
- 1 oz Sugar Syrup
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- Soda Water
- Optional: 1 Egg White or 2 tablespoons Aquafaba
Instructions
- Add the gin, sugar syrup, lemon juice and egg white or aquafaba into a shaker
- Dry Shake
- Add ice
- Shake, shake, shake until chilled
- Strain into a rocks glass
- Top with Soda Water
- Garnish with a lemon wheel!
Notes
For UK measurements, please use my handy Cocktail Measurements converter!
Nutrition
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