The fun and frothy gin fizz is one of the world’s most iconic drinks, but it's also one of the simplest. A fizz starts with a base liquor, citrus juice, a sweetener and often an egg white, but goes on to add carbonation for a touch of effervescence. Though it’s a close relative of the Tom Collins, a gin fizz is always shaken, never built in the glass.
Gin is the only spirit present in a gin fizz, but you can mix things up to change the flavour profile. Try a classic London Dry gin for a good botanical counterpart to the citrus, or experiment with an aromatic gin. The Ramos Gin Fizz, a popular offshoot, also contains gin, lemon juice, egg white and soda water, but adds sugar, cream and orange flower water for an even more textured cocktail.
The gin fizz first appeared as a printed recipe in Jerry Thomas's legendary 1876 'The Bartenders Guide' book, and the appetite for fizz-style cocktails continued through the 19th century until the onset of Prohibition.
