Oh and it takes only 5 minutes to make! As two cocktail experts, this was one of the first cocktails we learned to make. We love tangy cocktails like margaritas and whiskey sours, so this tangy sweet fizzy drink is right up our alley. Ready to experience this iconic gin cocktail? For the sweetener for a gin fizz, you can use either the standard simple syrup or maple syrup as a natural sweetener. We find maple syrup adds more interesting nuanced notes to the flavor (and we promise, it doesn’t taste like maple!). The gin fizz ingredients are:
2 oz gin ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup 1 egg white Soda water
In this gin fizz you’ll do what’s called a dry shake, which results in a lovely white layer of foam on top (you’ll do the same with other classic egg white cocktails like the Boston Sour or Pisco Sour). Here’s how it works:
Shake the drink ingredients without ice first. This lets the protein in the egg begin to form foam, instead of being diluted by the ice. Add ice and shake again. This cools the drink and strengthens the foam. Strain it into the glass and you’ll get a thick, white frothy layer. A trick for increasing the foam in a gin fizz: Add a spring to the cocktail shaker; it helps to agitate the ingredients even more (this really works: we’ve tried it!).
You can use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba in this gin fizz recipe as an equivalent to the actual egg white. It makes for the same type of foam! This Fee Brothers Cocktail Foamer is another popular alternative.
Malfy and Beefeater London Dry have a developed, botanical flavor that blends well in cocktails. Locally distilled gin is a great option! In Indianapolis, we like 8th Day Distillery, Hotel Tango, and Big Heart Gin. Steer clear of strong flavored sipping gins in cocktails. For us this includes brands like Tanqueray gin (very floral) and Opihr gin (spice-forward). These types of gin can overpower the subtlety in many mixed drinks.
There’s lots more you can do with gin, from classic Gin and Tonic to a Hanky Panky to a Gin Gimlet. See our best Gin Cocktails. 5 from 7 reviews **For vegan, substitute 2 tablespoons aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. To convert to ounces, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
The Ramos Gin Fizz was invented in New Orleans in the 1880’s and tastes like lemon meringue pie. It adds lime juice, heavy cream and orange blossom water to the classic formula. The Sloe Gin Fizz is a fruity spin on the classic! This drink swaps out the gin for sloe gin (which isn’t actually gin at all!). A Tom Collins has the same ingredients as a gin fizz, but skips the egg white topping. The Gin Sour has the same ingredients as a gin fizz, without the soda water. A Bee’s Knees has similar ingredients but uses honey syrup.
