The Ramos Gin Fizz & The Evening of Enlightenment

A while ago, my wife and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary in New Orleans. A few months before, I had begun to develop an interest in classic cocktails after an accidental trip to a well-known watering hole in San Francisco. So, after a decent amount of research, I knew that we had to make it to the Swizzle Stick and Library Lounge for drinks before we headed back to Texas.

After a weary and somewhat over-stimulating evening experiencing Bourbon Street after a Tulane/LSU football game, we headed north on Canal and dropped our tired asses in a couple of chairs at the Library Lounge in the Ritz Carlton. At this point, I had enough knowledge about classic cocktails to know a few of their names, but I was also just arrogant and ignorant enough to order a Sazerac from the bartender, specifying that I wanted it the “traditional way”—with Rye, not Bourbon.

Although Bourbon Street looked like a miniature Mardi Gras, the Library Lounge was virtually empty, minus a couple of lone souls in the corner. As the words came out of my mouth, “Rye, not Bourbon”, the bartender immediately stopped what he was doing and looked up at me saying, “It is NEVER made with bourbon.” Then he resumed his work. Internally, I just wanted to slink out of there unnoticed, but then he started making my Sazerac. I would love to describe the beauty of that process, but it will have to wait for another post.

As he was making my Sazerac the “right way”, I noticed his nametag—“Hmmm…Chris McMillian…that sounds familiar, but I can’t rightly place his name.” I took our drinks to the little table and was looking through some of the internet literature that I had printed when I read, “Chris McMillian, master mixologist and one of the country’s leading authorities on pre-prohibition cocktails…”

I felt like a complete tool. I told my wife about what had transpired, and we soon realized that the only way to save face was to make our way to a bar seat and hope to earn his forgiveness. What took place over the next two hours changed my world-view of cocktails.

Since it was a slow evening, I guess Mr. McMillian took us on as his “project”—something for which we will both be forever grateful. After two drinks, we were butter in his hands. We basically said, “Take us on journey and assume we know nothing.” Several drinks later he asked if we were ready for our next while politely prefacing, “If you come in here and it’s busy, don’t request this.”

He then introduced us to a popular New Orleans classic, the Ramos Gin Fizz. To watch Mr. McMillian make this drink in person is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There are a lot of versions rolling around the internet, but I cannot imagine one that is more authentic or better-tasting than his.

The Ramos Gin Fizz
(by Chris McMillian)

1 ½ oz. Bombay London Dry Gin
½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream
1 oz. Simple Syrup (1:1 without heat)
3 drops Orange Flower Water (careful here…a little goes a long way and too much can wreck the whole drink)
3 drops Quality Vanilla Extract (apparently controversial, but I really liked it)
1 fresh egg white
Seltzer

Now, the mixing instructions. As Mr. McMillian states in the video, this drink was originally said to have been shaken for up to 12 minutes, or until the texture becomes ‘ropy’. For anyone who has attempted to shake a Ramos Gin Fizz for more than a minute or two, they know that it is a ton of work. Perseverance pays off, but at what cost? I mean now you have your fizz ready, but you cannot lift the glass because your arm won’t stop cramping.

While at the Alembic Bar in San Francisco in February, I picked up a little trick for shaking cocktails containing egg. Some people have suggested making this drink in a blender, while others have sworn by milk frothers. The guys at Alembic shake their egg cocktails without ice at first (nothing new there), but they add a little something before they close the shaker.

Go to your drawer and take out your Hawthorne strainer. Notice how that spring can conveniently be taken off? Remove it and add to your shaker with the wet ingredients (sans ice). Essentially, we now have a whisk inside the shaker to work for us as we shake our brains out. The first time I did this, I ended up with a “meringue” so nice I could have scraped it off my drink and onto a pie. I still shook the drink for at least two minutes, but the results were incredible. After the dry shaking is done, remove the spring, add a lot of ice to chill the drink, and vigorously shake again. Then strain it into a glass big enough to hold the contents of your shaker. Top the drink off with seltzer. As Mr. McMillian points out, this drink should NOT be served over ice as that is a major difference between a Fizz and a Collins-style drink.

A few months ago, Jamie Boudreau offered a variation on the Fizz on his blog, Spirits and Cocktails. If you went out and bought a bottle of Crème de Violette after last week’s post on the Aviation Cocktail and now have no idea what to do with the rest, let not your heart be troubled.

Fizz a la Violette
(from Jamie Boudreau)

2 oz. Gin
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ oz. Creme de Violette
½ oz. Cream
½ Fresh Egg White
1 Tsp Simple Syrup
Seltzer

Shake drink ingredients in the same manor as the Ramos Gin Fizz. Strain and top with seltzer. Serve garnished with a flower.

Now a note to the ‘”fat-o-phobes”:

This is a drink that is obviously an indulgence. DO NOT make this drink if you are not willing to commit to the heavy whipping cream. The fat content of the whipping cream and the proteins in the egg white give this drink the texture that it is known for. If you even dare thinking about making this with fat free milk do this drink a favor and don’t make it. And for the love, this cocktail is not intended for vegans. If the thoughts of soy milk or fake egg whites crossed your mind as suitable substitutes, you’re just going to have to miss out on a better drink.