🥃 Ramos Fizz

Ramos Fizz, also known as Ramos Gin Fizz, is a New Orleans cocktail of gin, lemon and lime juice, sugar, egg white, cream, orange flower water and soda water. It is shaken for a long time so that the foam becomes dense and stable. According to Difford's Guide, the drink was created in 1888 by Henry Ramos at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon.

Ingredients. The classic base is gin, often following the original recipe with Old Tom gin, which is a little sweeter. Citrus juices, sugar syrup, egg white and cream are added. Orange flower water gives a floral note; soda water lifts the foam in the glass. All the ingredients are shaken without ice first, then with ice again, and the soda is added at the end.

History. The drink was first called the New Orleans Fizz, and Ramos himself called it “One And Only One”. Difford's Guide notes that in 1935 the rights to the cocktail were bought by a New Orleans hotel. Sources give 1887 or 1888 as the year of creation, so the date should be treated as approximate.

Features. The famous long shaking is needed to blend the cream and the egg white into foam. Today bartenders use a shaker and sometimes a blender. It is served in a tall glass, with the foam rising above the rim, and the drink stays cold and smooth on the palate.

Why this matters to you. Foam and cream soften the taste and hide the strength of the gin. Raw egg white and cream do not keep. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.