Fizz (cocktail)
Encyclopedia
A Fizz is a type of mixed drink
—a variation on the older Sour
s family. The defining features of the fizz are an acidic juice (such as lemon or lime juice) and carbonated water
.
, the difference, contrary to common belief, being that a Tom Collins historically used "Old Tom Gin
" (a sweetened version of, and precursor to, London Dry Gin), whereas the kind of gin Gin Fizz historically used is unknown.
Simple variations on the gin fizz are
, and soda water. It is served in a large glass, such as a Zombie glass (a non-tapered 12 to 14 ounce glass).
The orange flower water and egg white significantly affect the flavor and texture of a Ramos, compared to a regular Gin Fizz. As Cleveland bar chef Everest Curley points out "a big key to making egg cocktails is not to use ice at first; the sugar acts as an emulsifier, while it and the alcohol 'cooks' the egg white." Even so, many bartenders today use powdered egg white
because of the possible health risks associated with consuming raw eggs.
Henry C. Ramos invented the Ramos gin fizz in 1888 at his bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloonin on Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
. It was originally called the New Orleans Fizz, and is one of the city's most famous cocktails. Before Prohibition, the bar was known to have over 20 bartenders working at once, making nothing but the Ramos Gin Fizz - and still struggling to keep up with the demand. During the carnival of 1915, 32 staff were on at once, just to shake the drink. The drink's long mixing time (12 minutes) made it a very time consuming cocktail to produce.
The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans also popularized the drink, as did governor Huey Long's fondness for it. In July 1935, Long brought a bartender named Sam Guarino from the Roosevelt Hotel to the New Yorker Hotel in New York City to show the staff there how to make the drink, so he could have it whenever he was there. The Museum of the American Cocktail has newsreel footage of this event. The Roosevelt Hotel group trademarked the drink name in 1935 and still makes it today.
(a blackthorn
plum flavored spirit), lemon juice, sugar, egg white, and carbonated water.
A more common variant of a Sloe Gin Fizz contains sloe gin
, lemon juice, superfine sugar, and club soda (with no egg white).
and Loretta Lynn
song "Portland Oregon," with the lines "Well, Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz, if that ain't love then tell me what is" and "Well, sloe gin fizz works mighty fast, when you drink it by the pitcher and not by the glass." It is not common for the drink to be served by the pitcher, hence the allure of the beverage.
Another song which includes a reference is Aerosmith
's "Rag Doll", which includes the lyrics "Sloe gin fizzy / do it till you're dizzy / give it all you got until you're put out of your misery."
This beverage is mentioned in Book Two of Richard Wright
's novel Native Son
as the character Bigger Thomas orders two sloe gin fizzes: one for him and the other for Bessie.
The name also shows up in the song "BMW Man" on the Local H
album 12 Angry Months.
The drink is sung of by Sammy Kershaw
in his song "Queen of my Double Wide Trailer." "We sat there talkin' by the lobster tank/I ordered her a sloe gin fizz/And when them chicken-fried steaks arrived/She said, 'I like living like this.'"
Jim Morrison requests a Ramos Fizz from a bartender in the movie The Doors.
Sloe Gin Fizz is the drink of choice for the bank robber characters in the cult classic comedy movie Safe Men
.
Paul Sanchez
, a New Orleans singer/songwriter, references this drink in his song "Drunk This Christmas" in the line "I hope Santa's bringing / an icy Sloe gin fizz."
In Paul Scott's Raj Quartet
, a series of novels set in 1940s India, several scenes include consumption of sloe gin fizzes.
This drink is mentioned in the TV series Psych in the episode "Lets Get Hairy." "I'd like a Sloe gin fizz please, hold the gin, extra fizz."
This drink is mentioned in an episode of the TV series Greek, on ABC Family. Casey Cartwright orders two sloe gin fizzes for herself and Catherine. Later, Catherine says, "This slow gin fizz is not living up to its name; it went straight to my head pretty quickly!"
Mixed drink
A mixed drink is a beverage in which two or more ingredients are mixed. Some mixed drinks are alcoholic beverages that contain liquor; others are non-alcoholic.-Types:Some popular types of mixed drinks are:...
—a variation on the older Sour
Sour (cocktail)
A sour is a traditional family of mixed drinks. Common examples of sours are the Margarita and the Sidecar. Sours belong to one of the old families of original cocktails and are described by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book, How to Mix Drinks Sours are mixed drinks containing a base liquor , lemon...
s family. The defining features of the fizz are an acidic juice (such as lemon or lime juice) and carbonated water
Carbonated water
Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
.
History
The first printed reference to a fizz (spelled "fiz") is in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide, which contains six fizz recipes. The Fizz became widely popular in America between 1900 and the 1940s. Known as a hometown specialty of New Orleans, the Gin Fizz was so popular that bars would employ scrums of bartenders working in teams that would take turns shaking the fizzes. Demand for fizzes went international as evidenced by the inclusion of the cocktail in the French cookbook L'Art Culinaire Francais published in 1950.Gin Fizz
A Gin Fizz is the best-known cocktail in the Fizz family. A Gin Fizz contains gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water, served in a highball glass with two ice cubes. Lemon-lime soda can also be used. The drink is similar to a Tom CollinsTom Collins
The Tom Collins is a type of Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by "the father of American mixology" Jerry Thomas, this "Gin and Sparkling Lemonade" drink typically is served in a Collins glass over ice.-History:In 1874,...
, the difference, contrary to common belief, being that a Tom Collins historically used "Old Tom Gin
Old Tom Gin
Old Tom Gin is a lightly sweetened Gin popular in 18th-century England that now is rarely available. It is slightly sweeter than London Dry, but slightly drier than Dutch/Holland Gin/Jenever, and is thus sometimes called The Missing Link.The name Old Tom Gin purportedly came from wooden plaques...
" (a sweetened version of, and precursor to, London Dry Gin), whereas the kind of gin Gin Fizz historically used is unknown.
Simple variations on the gin fizz are
- Silver Fizz — addition of egg white
- Golden Fizz — addition of egg yolk
- Royal Fizz — addition of whole egg
- Diamond Fizz — sparkling wineSparkling wineSparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
instead of carbonated water - Green Fizz — addition of a dash of green crème de mentheCrème de mentheCrème de menthe is a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage. Its flavor is primarily derived from Corsican mint. It is available commercially in a colorless and a green version...
Ramos Gin Fizz
A Ramos gin fizz (also known as a Ramos fizz or New Orleans fizz) contains gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream, orange flower waterOrange flower water
Orange flower water, or orange blossom water, is a clear, perfumed distillation of fresh bitter-orange blossoms.This essential water has traditionally been used in many French and Mediterranean dessert dishes, such as the gibassier and pompe à l'huile, but has more recently found its way into...
, and soda water. It is served in a large glass, such as a Zombie glass (a non-tapered 12 to 14 ounce glass).
The orange flower water and egg white significantly affect the flavor and texture of a Ramos, compared to a regular Gin Fizz. As Cleveland bar chef Everest Curley points out "a big key to making egg cocktails is not to use ice at first; the sugar acts as an emulsifier, while it and the alcohol 'cooks' the egg white." Even so, many bartenders today use powdered egg white
Powdered eggs
Powdered eggs are fully dehydrated eggs. They are made in a spray dryer in the same way that powdered milk is made. The major advantages of powdered eggs over fresh eggs are the price, reduced weight per volume of whole egg equivalent, and the shelf life...
because of the possible health risks associated with consuming raw eggs.
Henry C. Ramos invented the Ramos gin fizz in 1888 at his bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloonin on Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. It was originally called the New Orleans Fizz, and is one of the city's most famous cocktails. Before Prohibition, the bar was known to have over 20 bartenders working at once, making nothing but the Ramos Gin Fizz - and still struggling to keep up with the demand. During the carnival of 1915, 32 staff were on at once, just to shake the drink. The drink's long mixing time (12 minutes) made it a very time consuming cocktail to produce.
The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans also popularized the drink, as did governor Huey Long's fondness for it. In July 1935, Long brought a bartender named Sam Guarino from the Roosevelt Hotel to the New Yorker Hotel in New York City to show the staff there how to make the drink, so he could have it whenever he was there. The Museum of the American Cocktail has newsreel footage of this event. The Roosevelt Hotel group trademarked the drink name in 1935 and still makes it today.
Sloe Gin Fizz
A Sloe Gin Fizz contains sloe ginSloe gin
Sloe gin is a red liqueur flavoured with sloe berries, which are a small fruit relative of the plum. Sloe gin has an alcohol content between 15 and 30 percent by volume. The traditional way of making sloe gin is to infuse gin with the berries. Sugar is required to ensure the sloe juices are...
(a blackthorn
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
plum flavored spirit), lemon juice, sugar, egg white, and carbonated water.
A more common variant of a Sloe Gin Fizz contains sloe gin
Sloe gin
Sloe gin is a red liqueur flavoured with sloe berries, which are a small fruit relative of the plum. Sloe gin has an alcohol content between 15 and 30 percent by volume. The traditional way of making sloe gin is to infuse gin with the berries. Sugar is required to ensure the sloe juices are...
, lemon juice, superfine sugar, and club soda (with no egg white).
Uncommon variations
- Whiskey Fizz — American blended whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon-lime soda
- Meyer Lemon Fizz— uses the sweeter Meyer lemonMeyer lemonCitrus × meyeri, the Meyer lemon, is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange. It was introduced to the United States in 1908 as S.P.I...
instead of normal lemon, and adds orange juice - Manhattan Cooler — Scotch, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon-lime soda
- Chicago Fizz — rumRumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, port winePort winePort wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
, lemon juice, sugar, and egg white - Buck's Fizz (and variant MimosaMimosa (cocktail)A Mimosa is a cocktail-like drink composed of one part champagne and one part thoroughly chilled orange juice. It is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute with a morning brunch as hair of the dog or to guests at weddings. ....
) — champagne, orange juice, sometimes grenadine - Japanese Gin Fizz — a standard Gin Fizz with a shot of Lychee liquor added
- Sour Melon Fizz - Gin, lime juice, midori and ginger ale
Cultural references
The drink is mentioned in the Jack WhiteJack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
and Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
song "Portland Oregon," with the lines "Well, Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz, if that ain't love then tell me what is" and "Well, sloe gin fizz works mighty fast, when you drink it by the pitcher and not by the glass." It is not common for the drink to be served by the pitcher, hence the allure of the beverage.
Another song which includes a reference is Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's "Rag Doll", which includes the lyrics "Sloe gin fizzy / do it till you're dizzy / give it all you got until you're put out of your misery."
This beverage is mentioned in Book Two of Richard Wright
Richard Wright (author)
Richard Nathaniel Wright was an African-American author of sometimes controversial novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially those involving the plight of African-Americans during the late 19th to mid 20th centuries...
's novel Native Son
Native Son
Native Son is a novel by American author Richard Wright. The novel tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, an African American living in utter poverty. Bigger lived in Chicago's South Side ghetto in the 1930s...
as the character Bigger Thomas orders two sloe gin fizzes: one for him and the other for Bessie.
The name also shows up in the song "BMW Man" on the Local H
Local H
Local H is an American rock duo, formed by Joe Daniels and Scott Lucas in Zion, Illinois in 1987. Local H's 1996 album, As Good as Dead, includes the top 10 hit "Bound for the Floor" Author, rock critic and Rolling Stone contributor Greg Kot and the Chicago Tribune named the band its 2008 Chicago...
album 12 Angry Months.
The drink is sung of by Sammy Kershaw
Sammy Kershaw
Samuel Paul "Sammy" Kershaw is an American country music artist. A third cousin of Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw and ex-husband of Lorrie Morgan, he has been active in country music since 1991. He has released ten studio albums, with three RIAA platinum certifications and two gold certifications...
in his song "Queen of my Double Wide Trailer." "We sat there talkin' by the lobster tank/I ordered her a sloe gin fizz/And when them chicken-fried steaks arrived/She said, 'I like living like this.'"
Jim Morrison requests a Ramos Fizz from a bartender in the movie The Doors.
Sloe Gin Fizz is the drink of choice for the bank robber characters in the cult classic comedy movie Safe Men
Safe Men
Safe Men is a 1998 film written and directed by John Hamburg. The crime-comedy starred Sam Rockwell and Steve Zahn as a pair of aspiring lounge singers who are mistaken for ace safe crackers and get mixed up with a Jewish mobster, Big Fat Bernie Gayle and Big Fat's intern, Veal Chop .Safe Men was...
.
Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez is a New Orleans-born and based American guitarist and a singer-songwriter. Sanchez is best known as one of New Orleans' finest song writers and was also founding member of the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth. Sanchez was a guitarist and one of the primary singers and songwriters for the...
, a New Orleans singer/songwriter, references this drink in his song "Drunk This Christmas" in the line "I hope Santa's bringing / an icy Sloe gin fizz."
In Paul Scott's Raj Quartet
Raj Quartet
The Raj Quartet is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. The Times called it "one of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction."The story of The Raj Quartet begins...
, a series of novels set in 1940s India, several scenes include consumption of sloe gin fizzes.
This drink is mentioned in the TV series Psych in the episode "Lets Get Hairy." "I'd like a Sloe gin fizz please, hold the gin, extra fizz."
This drink is mentioned in an episode of the TV series Greek, on ABC Family. Casey Cartwright orders two sloe gin fizzes for herself and Catherine. Later, Catherine says, "This slow gin fizz is not living up to its name; it went straight to my head pretty quickly!"
External links
- Ramos Gin Fizz in the NY Times
- New Orleans' best cocktails: The Ramos Gin Fizz by bartender Chris McMillan