Gin Fizz

One of the oldest and most influential cocktail families, the fizz was first documented in Jerry Thomas’s 1876 bartender’s guide, and the Gin Fizz quickly became the best-known member of the family. At its core, it’s a sour — gin, lemon juice, and sugar — shaken hard with ice and topped with soda water for a lively, refreshing finish. The drink became a hometown specialty of New Orleans, where bars employed teams of ‘shaker boys’ working in relays to keep up with demand. Its famous cousin, the Ramos Gin Fizz, added egg white, cream, and orange flower water — and required a legendary twelve minutes of shaking.