Skip To Main ContentMasterClass logo
|Articles
At Work
Log In
Sign Up
Food

How to Make a Gin Fizz: Classic Gin Fizz Recipe

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Mar 25, 2024 • 2 min read

The Gin Fizz is a classic cocktail that traditionally calls for just four ingredients: gin, lemon juice, sweetener, and soda water. It’s light, refreshing, and—you guessed it—incredibly fizzy and foamy. For presentation, tall glasses like the highball glass and Collins glass are usually best to accommodate the gin cocktail’s frothy head, but many bartenders will use rocks glasses as well.

Some versions of the Gin Fizz call for egg whites, though traditionally this cocktail is made without eggs. If you include egg whites, it should be dry shaken (shaken with no ice) to create the frothiest head.

Learn From the Best

Sign Up

The History of the Gin Fizz

The fizz family of cocktails (which includes such drinks as the Gin Fizz, the Whiskey Fizz, and the Ramos Gin Fizz) were first introduced in Jerry Thomas’s 1876 cookbook, Bartender’s Guide as a variation on the sours family (which includes drinks like the Daiquiri and the Sidecar). Fizzes rose in popularity and during the early 1900s, the gin fizz became known as a New Orleans specialty.

7 Variations on the Gin Fizz

  1. 1. Ramos Gin Fizz: A New Orleans classic that includes lime juice, egg white, cream, and orange flower water; famously required being shaken for 12 minutes
  2. 2. French 75 (or Diamond Fizz): Substitutes sparkling wine for the club soda
  3. 3. Green Fizz: Includes crème de menthe
  4. 4. Sloe Gin Fizz (or Purple Fizz): Substitutes the gin for the plum-flavored sloe gin, includes grapefruit juice and egg white
  5. 5. Silver Fizz: Includes egg whites
  6. 6. Golden Fizz: Includes egg yolk
  7. 7. Royal Fizz: Includes egg whites and yolk

What Is the Difference Between a Gin Fizz and a Tom Collins?

The Gin Fizz and Tom Collins cocktails are often confused because they both have the same ingredients. But they have a few subtle differences that make each drink unique:

  • Fizziness. While Gin Fizzes are well-shaken to make them foamy, Tom Collins cocktails are most often just stirred and have minimal bubbles.
  • Ice. Gin Fizzes are chilled by being shaken with ice and then strained into a glass without ice, whereas Tom Collins cocktails are served over ice.
  • Size. Gin Fizzes are traditionally an 8-ounce drink, while Tom Collins cocktails are between 14 and 16 ounces.

Classic Gin Fizz Recipe

email recipe
70 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

1 cocktail

prep time

4 min

total time

4 min

Ingredients

  1. 1

    Add the gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and ice to a cocktail shaker.

  2. 2

    Shake extremely well; the key to getting the characteristic fizz is to agitate all of the ingredients for at least a minute.

  3. 3

    Strain into a chilled rocks glass.

  4. 4

    Add ice cubes and fill the rest of the glass with club soda. Garnish with lemon slice, if desired. Serve cold.

Learn more about mixology from award-winning bartenders. Refine your palate, explore the world of spirits, and shake up the perfect cocktail for your next gathering with the MasterClass Annual Membership.