Drink of the Week - Ramos Gin Fizz

If any of you have been over to my apartment lately, you may have noticed I have a big box of cocktail recipes I bought from a thrift shop in somewhere near Show Low, Arizona. However, this box was from the 70's, and I've been doubting its bona fides for some time. (Ever since I read a recipe that involved beef bouillon.) After trying one too many atrocities from its pages, I pitched the thing and decided to try only the classics. So, without further ado, here is the first Cocktail of the Week, the Ramos Gin Fizz.
Ramos Gin Fizz.

1.5 oz gin
0.5 oz lemon j.
0.5 oz lime j.
1 oz simple syrup
dash vanilla extract
dash orange flower water
2 oz cream
egg white
seltzer

Combine all of the above except seltzer in shaker. Shake without ice to emulsify egg white. Then shake with ice. Pour in tall Collins glass without ice. Top with seltzer water for the fizz.

The drink is a New Orleans specialty dating back to the Ramos Brothers, who began mizing drinks in the 1880's, and continued until Prohibition in the 20's. In the aftermath, the Ramos Brothers released the formerly-secret recipe to the public, so the drink would not fade from memory. After Prohibition, the larger-than-life Senator Huey Long of Louisiana had New Orleans bartenders dispatched to Washington to teach Yankee barkeeps how to mix the drink properly.

I give the drink an A. A little bit tart, a little bit sweet, and quite a bit of creamy, the Ramos Gin Fizz does well. Vanilla adds a nice touch. Sure, it's complicated, but it's worth it. Plus, if you normally hate gin, this might be ok for you, since the gin's taste is muted. By the way, orange flower water is flavoring often used in Middle Eastern dishes. You can probably omit it; I used rose flower water instead that I had on hand (ingredient for another thing I am going to make later on).

See: New Orleans' Best Cocktails
Photo by: Michael Dietsch and distributed via Creative Commons License.