Ingredients
- 1 ¾ oz Gin
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 3/4 oz Sugar Syrup
- Soda
Instructions
Combine Ingredients:
- In a shaker tin, combine 1 ¾ oz gin, 1 oz lemon juice, and 3/4 oz sugar syrup.
Add Ice:
- Add ice to the small shaker tin.
Shake:
- Shake vigorously until the tin is frosted over.
Strain:
- Strain the mixture into a chilled highball glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with Soda:
- Top with soda water.
Garnish:
- Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Serve:
- Serve immediately and enjoy your Gin Fizz Cocktail.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
Jerry Thomas printed a Gin Fizz recipe in his 1876 Bar-Tender's Guide. The Fizz family is one of the oldest in cocktail literature: spirit, citrus, sugar, soda. New Orleans took the Gin Fizz seriously and added egg white, creating the Silver Fizz. Henry Ramos at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon went further in 1888 with the Ramos Gin Fizz: cream, egg white, orange flower water, and a 12-minute shake.
The Gin Fizz almost disappeared during Prohibition. The cocktail revival in the 2000s pulled it back, especially the Ramos version. The basic Gin Fizz is the no-fuss starting point: gin, lemon, sugar, soda, served in a small fizz glass with a hard shake.
What it tastes like
Lemon-led, gin-bright, lightly sweet, and fizzy. Smaller and shorter than a Tom Collins. Drinks like a tall sour with a soda finish.
The Silver Fizz adds egg white and turns the drink into something foamy and silky. The Royal Fizz uses a whole egg. The Golden Fizz uses just the yolk. All variations on the same template.
The technique
60ml gin, 25ml fresh lemon, 15ml simple syrup. Shake hard with ice for 12 seconds. Strain into a chilled small fizz glass or rocks glass without ice. Top with cold soda water (about 30 to 60ml) and serve immediately. No garnish needed.
If using egg white: shake without ice first (a dry shake) for 15 seconds to emulsify the egg. Then add ice and shake again for 12 seconds. Strain into the glass. Top with soda. The foam should sit on top.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The gin
- Use
- London Dry (Tanqueray, Beefeater, Plymouth)
- Skip
- Heavily floral or contemporary gins (clash with the lemon)
- Why
- You want clean juniper and citrus. The fizz is a transparent drink; the gin should support not dominate.
The lemon
- Use
- Fresh lemon juice
- Skip
- Bottled lemon juice
- Why
- The drink is short. There's nowhere for bad lemon to hide.
The soda
- Use
- Cold soda water from a fresh bottle or siphon
- Skip
- Tonic water (different drink)
- Why
- Plain bubbles add lift and dilution. Tonic adds quinine that fights the lemon.
Variations
Other gin shorts and fizzes for warm afternoons.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Vodka makes a Vodka Fizz. Whiskey makes a Whiskey Fizz. Both are real drinks.
Lime works in a pinch (becomes a Gin Rickey-adjacent drink).
Caster sugar shaken with the lemon and gin. Just give it 15 seconds before adding ice.
Add 1 fresh egg white and dry shake first (without ice) for 15 seconds, then again with ice. Now it's a Silver Fizz.
Add 30ml of cream and 2 dashes of orange flower water and shake hard. Now you're heading toward a Ramos Fizz, which traditionally takes 12 minutes of shaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Gin Fizz?
Gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and soda water. Standard spec: 60ml gin, 25ml lemon, 15ml simple syrup, topped with 30 to 60ml soda. Served in a small fizz glass without ice.
How do you make a Gin Fizz?
Shake 60ml gin, 25ml lemon, and 15ml simple syrup hard with ice for 12 seconds. Strain into a chilled small glass without ice. Top with cold soda. Serve immediately.
Gin Fizz vs Tom Collins?
Same liquid recipe, different glass. Gin Fizz is shaken hard, strained into a small glass without ice, then topped with soda. Tom Collins is built or shaken into a tall glass with ice. Tom Collins is longer and has more soda.
What is a Silver Fizz?
A Gin Fizz with an egg white added. The egg makes the drink foamy and silky. Dry shake first to emulsify the egg, then shake with ice.
What is a Ramos Gin Fizz?
A Gin Fizz with cream, egg white, and orange flower water added. Created in 1888 in New Orleans by Henry Ramos. Takes 12 minutes of shaking traditionally; modern bars compromise at 1 to 2 minutes.
Should I serve a Gin Fizz with ice?
No. The classic is served in a small chilled glass without ice. The hard shake provides the chill. Adding ice dilutes the drink.
How strong is a Gin Fizz?
About 12 to 15 percent ABV in the glass after dilution. Stiffer than it tastes. The lemon and soda mask the alcohol.
What gin should I use?
London Dry. Tanqueray, Beefeater, or Plymouth. Avoid heavily floral gins; they fight the lemon.
Can I batch a Gin Fizz?
Mix the gin, lemon, and syrup ahead. Top with soda only at serving time. Bubbles go flat fast.
What glass should I use?
A small fizz glass or a Delmonico glass (tall narrow tumbler about 200ml). A small rocks glass works in a pinch. Smaller than a Collins glass.
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