Ramos Gin Fizz
For the man with nowhere to be and the patience to prove itFor the man with nowhere to be and the patience to prove it
Henry Charles Ramos invented this drink in 1888 at his Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans. During Mardi Gras he employed a line of "shaker boys" — sometimes thirty-five at once — passing a single cocktail hand to hand down the bar, each shaking for twelve minutes in relay. It cannot be rushed. Men who have tried to rush it have been given something that is merely a gin drink and told to think about what they've done.
Ingredients
- 2 oz
London Dry gin
A restrained, classically structured example that holds the architecture together from the inside.
- ½ oz
Fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz
Fresh lime juice
Both citrus together, equal parts — a New Orleans specification.
- 1 oz
Heavy cream
Full fat, cold, added with conviction.
- 1 oz
Simple syrup
- 3 drops
Orange flower water
Not orange bitters. Not orange juice. Three drops precisely. Four drops is a different drink. Two drops is an apology.
- 1
Egg white
Cold, cracked fresh.
- 1 oz
Chilled soda water
Added after straining. Poured slowly down the inside of the glass.
A single drop of aged orange blossom honey from the Provence region of France — placed directly on the foam after it has risen. It sinks slowly. It disappears. The person who drinks it will know it was there.
Method
Combine all ingredients except soda without ice. Dry shake for no fewer than five minutes. This is not a suggestion.
After five minutes, add ice. Shake for another three minutes.
Strain into a tall chilled glass.
Add one ounce of chilled soda water, poured slowly down the inside of the glass.
Watch the white foam rise above the rim in a slow, improbable column. Wait for it to settle.
It takes between twelve and fifteen minutes from start to glass.
The Club employs one bartender at major gatherings who is permitted to refuse any request on the grounds of insufficient time. The Ramos Gin Fizz is the only drink for which this refusal cannot be exercised. It is in the agreement. The Doctor drafted the relevant clause. It remains in effect.