The legend of the “Ramos Gin Fizz” Cocktail

The legend of the “Ramos Gin Fizz” Cocktail
Share With Your Friends:

Ramos Gin Fizz

The very fact that the Ramos Gin Fizz cocktail is still served in good cocktail bars today, 124 years after its conception at a bar in New Orleans, is testament to its excellent flavour and texture. In a world of drinks populated by shooters, vodka and Red Bull and anything-&-Coke, it would seem that the complicated Ramos Gin Fizz should have died out ages ago. With its long list of ingredients–including raw egg white and cream, plus the difficult-to-find orange flower water–and the physical effort involved in its mixing–most bar manuals recommend it be shaken vigorously for anywhere up to twelve minutes–the Ramos Gin Fizz harks back to a day before I-Pads, Instant Messaging and even the phone! However,unlike following other cocktails which require that extra bit of effort, such as the Sherry Cobbler, into the realm of deceased and near-forgotten cocktails, the Ramos Gin Fizz has gone marching on.

The Ramos Gin Fizz is one of a group of mixed drinks known as the Fizz Family, including the Gin Fizz, the Diamond Fizz, Apricot Fizz and the Chicago Fizz. The Ramos Gin Fizz was originally created by Henry C Ramos in 1888 at his bar the Imperial Cabinet Salon in in New Orleans, Louisiana. The cocktail is a mix of gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, cream, sugar, orange flower water and soda water.Each ingredient has a crucial role in the drink: the egg white gives the cocktail its body, the cream gives it its smoothness and the citrus of the orange flower water provides its cool.The gin provides the body of the drink and the soda water brings the whole concoction to life.

Part of the legend surrounding the cocktail was that it was originally made to order using a long line-up of “shaker boys” whose job it was to shake the drink for about 30 seconds and then pass the drink to the next “shaker boy” down the line. Legend has it that it would take up to 12 minutes to shake the drink into meringue-like perfection.

The Ramos Gin Fizz went on to become popularized at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans and from there it eventually found its way to the New Yorker Hotel in New York, courtesy of Governor Huey Long, who was a big fan of the drink. The drink is still a mainstay at the Rooselvelt Hotel, although they have managed to get the shaking required down to a more reasonable 2 to 3 minutes.

Ramos Saloon

 

The Ramos Gin Fizz is certainly no ordinary cocktail, and due to its fascinating history, its amazing silky, luxurious texture and its complex layer of taste deserves its place in the cocktail hall of fame.If you make the effort, not only is this cocktail a delightful treat but it truly is a step back in time

 Guest

Written by Guest Author

Posted: October 28, 2012