Gin Fizz
Gin, lemon and sugar shaken cold, then topped with soda. Tart, crisp and fizzy.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Highball
- Strength
- 2 UK units
How to make a Gin Fizz
- Fill the glass with ice. Pack a highball glass with fresh ice and leave it to chill while you shake.
- Shake the base. Add the gin, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake hard for about 10 seconds, until the tin is very cold.
- Strain over the ice. Strain into the glass, filling it about three quarters of the way up.
- Top with soda. Add a splash of soda, about 50 ml, until the glass is full and the surface is foamy.
- Garnish and serve. Add a lemon wheel and drink it while it is still fizzing.
- Glass
- HighballNo highball? Any tall glass.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- Lemon wheelOr: A twist of lemon peel.
What you need to make a Gin Fizz
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- London dry ginBeefeater or Tanqueray both give the drink a crisp, juniper backbone.Find it on Amazon
- Soda waterSmall bottles stay fizzier than a big one that has been opened.Find it on Amazon
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The Gin Fizz story
Fizzes were popular in American bars from the 1870s, and the gin version became the best known. They sit between a sour and a highball: shaken, so the flavours blend, and topped with soda, so the drink stays light.
It is much like a Tom Collins in a smaller glass, and the line between them is blurry. Serve it in a short glass as soon as it is poured, while the soda is still bubbling. If it is too sharp, add a little more syrup; if too sweet, a little more lemon.
Gin Fizz: your questions answered
What is in a Gin Fizz?
A Gin Fizz is made with 50 ml London dry gin, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup and soda water to top. Garnish: lemon wheel.
Is a Gin Fizz shaken or stirred?
A Gin Fizz is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Gin Fizz?
Made to this recipe, a Gin Fizz contains about 2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Gin Fizz in?
Serve a Gin Fizz in a highball over ice. No highball? Any tall glass.
