Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/23459
TALES OF THE COCKTAIL 2011 A New Orleans THE HISTORIC RAMOS GIN FIZZ SET THE STANDARD FOR EGG-BASED COCKTAILS G reat drinks don’t just materialize; their creators usually draw inspiration from multiple sources which are then skillfully commingled to craft the cocktail. Very few cocktails are crafted as well as the Ramos Gin Fizz, which for many is the epitome of the alcohol-based egg drink. The history of the Ramos Gin Fizz is well documented, with Henry C. Ramos introducing it in 1888 at his bar in Meyer’s restaurant in New Orleans, later taking it with him to the Imperial Cabinet Saloon. The drink was originally called the New Orleans Fizz. The popularity of this libation was far reaching and extended to northern cities like Chicago and New York. In 1914, Walter H. Marshall, manager of the Vanderbilt Hotel in New York, personally recruited bartender Antoine Sekso, who had worked for Henry Ramos for five years in New Orleans, to be head bartender at the hotel. It was reported that Sekso made 1,000 Gin Fizzes a day while in New Orleans, and after his move to New York was said to be the highest-paid bartender in the city. This story may have been embellished for marketing purposes, but there are many old newspaper articles that talk about this unique Southern drink from New Orleans. A bartender who could make the genuine article was very profitable for a saloon. After Prohibition, Ramos sold his recipe as an exclusive to The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, where it appeared on the menu as Ramos’ Gin Fizz. Today, The Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt serves an “official” version of this classic. Inspiration Since the history of this drink is so well documented, the next question should be, what inspired Mr. Ramos to create his Fizz? Most people believe that the Ramos Gin Fizz is a modified Silver Fizz, which is a Gin Fizz with an egg white mixed in. This could definitely be the case, but there may be more to the story. In July 1885, the New Orleans Times-Democrat newspaper noted that in 1884 the Gin Fizz class of drinks had been very popular, but that in 1885 the Egg Soda was the trendy beverage of choice. Egg Sodas were usually served at soda fountains, 92 / the tasting panel / january–february 201 1 Original by Darcy O’Neil / photo by Michael Terranova which were more popular than saloons in the summer, espe- cially in a steamy city like New Orleans. This non-alcoholic drink calls for one egg, a half ounce of lemon syrup, a half ounce of vanilla syrup, an ounce of sweet cream and cracked ice; the drink is shaken and topped off with soda water. Adding gin and orange flower water to the Egg Soda recipe would produce something very close to a Ramos Gin Fizz. Soda fountains sold thousands of drinks per day in the summer months, and the Egg Soda was extremely popular for many years. It was a form of “fast food” at the time, similar to the protein shakes of today. Any smart business- man could recognize a good thing when he saw it, and by all accounts, Henry C. Ramos was a very smart business person. Seeing the popularity of the Egg Soda may have influenced him to improve upon the Silver Fizz by taking the Egg Soda and turning it into an alcoholic drink. One of the controversies about the known recipe for the Ramos Gin Fizz is whether or not it had vanilla in it. Some of the early barmen who worked for Mr. Ramos swear that vanilla was added; others are adamant that it was vanilla-free. Henry Ramos himself said that it did not have vanilla, but a few conspiracy theorists think he left this one ingredient out when he made his recipe public—a behavior that wasn’t uncommon among bartenders and saloons at the time. Could the Egg Soda explain the differences of opinion? Was it possible that the first iterations of the Ramos Gin Fizz we based on the very similar Egg Soda? Or could it be that many of the soda jerks who graduated from soda fountains to saloons confused the two recipes in their later years, creating this divergence? Anything is possible, but the reality is that we’ll never really know. What we do know is that egg-based drinks have been around for hundreds of years, Sack Posset and Egg Nog being two examples. Even among different cultures around the world, eggs have been incorporated into drinks like Chinese Egg Tea. Making an egg drink wasn’t unique to New Orleans. However, the Ramos Gin Fizz is a very unique cocktail. And if the standard for a great drink is creativity, Henry C. Ramos set the bar pretty high. www.talesofthecocktail.com