Drinks

Classic Cocktail: The Ramos Gin Fizz

Get your shaking arm ready to make this classic libation

by Pableaux Johnson

February/March 2012

photo: Cedric Angeles

In a city known for its late nights and lost weekends, it’s only appropriate that New Orleans should have a group of cocktails tailored for the inevitable rough mornings-after. The historic Ramos Gin Fizz is a great example of this genre: a creamy, approachable brunchtime cocktail with enough gin to take the edge off and the velvety mouthfeel of God’s own Dreamsicle. At Arnaud’s French 75, bartender and scholar Chris Hannah gives his traditional version its ethereal lightness with a few solid minutes of hard shaking. It’s the only way to get it right.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 oz. gin
- 1 oz. simple syrup (1:1 ratio)
- 1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1 egg white (pasteurized)
- 1 oz. heavy cream
- 3 drops orange flower water
- 1 oz. club soda, chilled

Preparation

In a shaker, combine all ingredients except soda and shake vigorously to combine. Add ice cubes and shake again for at least two minutes to provide the drink’s distinctive silky texture. Strain into a tapered highball glass or wine flute, top with club soda, stir, and serve.

Cocktail recipe from Chris Hannah Arnaud’s French 75 Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana