Ramos Gin Fizz
I’ve never been one for morning cocktails. Ignoring the potential issues drinking before you need to work or perform some kind of task, and the social stigma stemming from the alcohol dependency drinking early in the day suggests, I just don’t see the appeal most of the time. If I’m hung over I usually just want to sleep, and otherwise a cold glass of fruit juice suits me just fine.
However earlier in the year, surrounded by the excesses of Tales of the Cocktail, I developed a great love for a famous New Orleans breakfast cocktail, the Ramos Gin Fizz. Created in the 1880s by Henry C. Ramos the drink was so popular Huey P. Long, the governor of Louisiana, had the bartender of the New Orleans Roosevelt hotel travel up to the New York Roosevelt to train the staff how to make the Ramos Gin Fizz. I’m definitely with Mr Long here.
It was a drink I had tried only once before, though for some reason that one was entirely unremarkable and I never got around to making another. However under the misty haze of a hangover during a session I remember as being very early in the morning, but after looking back in my diary I see was actually at 2:30 (which says a lot about my relationship with the morning), I enjoyed a wonderful Ramos Gin Fizz and began to see the potential benefits of an early drink once in a while.
Ramos Gin Fizz
- 2 shots / 60 ml / 2 oz Old Tom gin
- 1 shot / 30 ml / 1 oz cream
- ½ shot / 15 ml / ½ oz lemon juice
- ½ shot / 15 ml / ½ oz lime juice
- 1 egg white
- 1 bar-spoon sugar
- 3 dashes orange flower water
- Shake all ingredients hard, first without ice, then with ice. Strain in to a tall glass and top off with soda water.
A beautiful mix of gin, citrus, fruit and creaminess, the Ramos Gin Fizz is one of those cocktails that just works. A nice floral Old Tom gin like the Both’s Old Tom is my favourite for this cocktail but a softer dry gin like Plymouth or Beefeater works perfectly well too, though you may want to add a touch more sugar.
The effort required to shake it up enough to produce a good head of froth can be a little frustrating, especially in the morning, but it’s more than worth it. I still rarely drink in the morning, but on certain special occasions it can be a nice treat and tomorrow while I open my Christmas presents I know what I am going to be sipping on…
Posted in Gin, Lemon, Lime, Recipes
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December 25th, 2008 at 12:11 am
It’s taken me nearly 40 years to appreciate gin, but my first Ramos Gin Fizz some 10 years ago was a revelation. I think it was the first chink in the armor.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:37 am
This cocktails is just handsdown wonderful..which reminds me that i haven`t made one since the one i made for MxMo, in other words, its time again!
Beautiful Photo as always Jay.
Cheers and merry Xmas!
December 25th, 2008 at 5:28 am
The first time I made the Ramos Gin Fizz while hungover I realized: where has this drink been all my hungover mornings? It’s … wonderful.
It was also the first time I’d used Old Tom (in this case, Hayman’s) in one…
December 25th, 2008 at 11:17 am
This is an awesome cocktail, reminds me of lime cheesecake that my mum used to make. What’s more is it breaks the old rule that simple is always better – how many drinks do you know which have both lemon and lime juice?
Personally I do take a more modern approach, leveling off the sweetness and richness slightly by using orange bitters, dry gin and milk+cream (or half and half). Think I might make one later on actually!
December 26th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Best drink ever. I learned from John Gertsen in Boston to take a good 15 minutes of alternating shaking and chilling on this puppy, and you get a good inch and a half of meringue and a silky smooth texture. I also recommend a lemon twist on top, delicious!
December 29th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I was rooting round my mum’s looking for anything to drink with a bottle of Hendricks that I got for xmas.
She has no alcohol in the kitchen, but a good supply of fruits, cream and other mum stuff. When I found a bottle of orange flower water in her cake gear, I knew what I was going to be drinking all day.
The flowery rosey note from the Hendricks works well I thought. I toned down the cream a bit too, using about half that amount.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:52 am
My dear Jay: I came here to see what this up and coming small blog was about and what do I find but a man after my own heart and clearly one with exquisite taste!
I am a born and raised in New Orleans, New Orleanian and the Ramos Gin Fizz is to my taste and experience the best cocktail ever and the best one ever to come out of New Orleans!
The Ramos is one of those subtle cocktails that slowly sipped creeps up on you in a lovely lovely way!
Actually, the original glass for it at The Roosevelt is one of those not a Tom Collins Glass but the next size under, inbetween the small, regular ole time from the 1930s highball glass and the taller Tom Collins one.
And the shake has to do with the lightness and frothiness of the head on top…
This cocktail can be ruined with the slightest too much of any ingredient..it is at its best in complete equilibrium of taste and texture and the headyness of those three drops of orange flower water makes me crazy!
You will be happy to know or already know that The Roosevelt will be totally restored ..including The Sazerac Bar, at which Ihave had many a lovely Ramos…
I also by the way really enjoy a good Sazerac, totally of another order, I know but wonderful.
Regarding drinking Ramoses in the morning…As you know we have a number of Brunch Coctails in New Orleans…while the Ramos was not developed for that…per se…I think it is perfect…When I have had two perfectly made Ramoses…and have tried a third..about half way through the third..I am somewhere lovely indeed..This cocktail is subtle, should not be underestimated for its power, and you my good man just got my vote at the Blog Awards simply for your good taste..also I like the design of your blog…Thank you..I will be back.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Looks like a great recipe. So glad “fizzes” are making a come back!
January 8th, 2009 at 12:03 am
Jay,
Do you think there’s much merit to throwing in the hawthorne strainer spring for your initial shake?
January 8th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I’m really not sure Rick. I find my results with egg-based drinks really variable – sometimes I’ll get a great frothy head, almost meringue like, other times it won’t be much at all. I definitely always dry shake first. Sometimes I throw in a spring other times not. Sometimes I add everything but citrus first (I read somewhere can can help). Nothing seems to consistently make a big difference.
I’ve had most success lately using a cheater tin (i.e. the glass from a boston shaker, but made of metal) with a normal boston tin – probably because it is far lighter so I can give it a harder, longer shake before I get tired. So I think the real key is just shaking the hell out of it as much as you can.
July 18th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Hmm, delicious! Just had my first one.
But Jay, yours is so (translucent) yellow? How come.. Mine was matte white because of the cream.
Both’s Old Tom Gin is awesome!!