My sister is a bartender at a great restaurant in San Francisco. Sitting at her bar one Sunday morning for brunch I saw her churn out order after order of the Ramos Fizz. I knew nothing about the drink, but with a combination of egg whites, cream and booze, I raised a skeptical eyebrow- and then I ordered one.

The Ramos Fizz is cocktail art. It originated in 1888 in New Orleans, created by Henry Ramos. Besides the general bar ingredients, you’ll also need a good quality orange flower water (try this one from bevmo.com). And you might want to invite a few friends over. You’re going to need a team to help you shake the fizz. A proper Ramos Fizz needs to be shaken for a good 5 minutes to properly emulsify the cream and egg whites. It’s a serious cocktail that requires commitment, but the outcome is somewhere between orange creamsicle and gin madness.

The Ramos Fizz

• 2 ounces London dry gin
• 1 ounce heavy cream
• 1 egg whites
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
• 2 to 3 drops orange flower water

Combine all ingredients in a chilled cocktail shaker with plenty of cracked ice, then shake viciously for at least one minute — preferably five, if you have the energy — and strain into a chilled Collins glass. Top up with cold seltzer or club soda.

Note: Don’t bother substituting orange juice or orange liqueur or orange anything else for the orange flower water; it has a fragrance unrelated to that of the fruit. Also, do not use half-and-half in place of the cream. As for the gin, some old recipes call for Old Tom gin. In this case, reduce the amount of sugar.

Related posts

• Brunch it Up
• As Cold As Stone?
• The Bloody Mary
• Best Bars In LA
• Best Thanksgiving Day Cocktails

Tags | Brunch, cocktail, Entertaining, gin