Gin Fizz Recipe

Before you start

A gin fizz looks like a Tom Collins but behaves differently. It is served short, in a small chilled glass with no ice, and with much less soda, so it stays brisk and concentrated. The shake is long and hard, which makes the base very cold and slightly frothy, and the soda goes in last to lift it into a lively, quickly finished drink.

Many bartenders add egg white, which turns the drink into what older books call a silver fizz, with a soft white cap and a smoother texture. It is optional here: without it the drink is crisper and clearer, with it the drink feels richer and the foam carries the lemon aroma. If you use egg white, use a pasteurized one and dry shake first. Either way, drink it soon after pouring; a fizz is not a sipping drink.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) London dry gin
• 30 ml (1 oz) fresh lemon juice — strained
• 22 ml (¾ oz) simple syrup (1:1)
• 30 ml (1 oz) pasteurized egg white — optional, about 1 large egg white, for a silver fizz
• 45 to 60 ml (1½ to 2 oz) soda water — very cold
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes — for shaking

Method

1. Chill the small highball glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes; the drink has no ice, so a cold glass keeps it fresh.
2. Add gin, lemon juice and syrup to the shaker. If using egg white, add it now, seal the shaker and shake without ice for 15 seconds.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and shake very hard for 15 seconds. The long shake builds a fine froth and gets the base as cold as possible.
4. Pour about 15 ml of soda into the bottom of the chilled glass. This helps the foam rise.
5. Double-strain the shaken base into the glass in a steady stream.
6. Top with the remaining soda, poured slowly down the side, until the foam rises to just above the rim. Serve at once, without a garnish or with a small lemon twist.

Tips for success

• The fizz is meant to be finished in a few minutes. Make it right before serving, and keep portions small.
• Soda in the glass first, then the base, then more soda produces the tallest head, especially with egg white.
• For a cleaner sour without egg, a 12 to 15 second shake still gives a lightly frothy texture from the citrus.

Substitutions

Egg white

Aquafaba (22 ml) gives a similar foam for a vegan silver fizz, with a slightly looser texture.

Lemon juice

Half lemon and half lime gives a sharper, greener sour. All lime makes a drink closer to a gimlet with soda.

London dry gin

Old Tom gin is softer and lightly sweet; reduce the syrup to 15 ml to keep the balance.

Variations

Golden fizz

Use a pasteurized egg yolk instead of the white for a richer, custard-colored drink.

Sloe gin fizz

Use 45 ml sloe gin and 15 ml dry gin, and cut the syrup to 10 ml because sloe gin is sweet.

Troubleshooting

The drink is flat

The soda was warm or poured too fast. Keep soda in the fridge and pour it gently down the glass wall.

Foam is thin or vanishes

The dry shake was skipped or too short, or the tin had grease in it. Clean the tin well and dry shake for a full 15 seconds.

It warms up too quickly

The glass was not chilled. Freeze it beforehand, and serve a smaller glass so the drink is gone while it is cold.

Storage

Serve immediately; a fizz loses its bubbles within a few minutes. Refrigerate any leftover pasteurized egg white in a covered container and use it within 2 days.

Safety notes

If you add egg white, use pasteurized eggs or carton whites, following FDA guidance for uncooked egg. Each drink contains about 1.4 U.S. standard drinks (roughly 14 g of pure alcohol per standard drink). Serve only to adults of legal drinking age; never drink and drive.