Gin Fizz Cocktail Recipe
Gin, lemon and sugar shaken cold and lengthened with soda — the plainest and best of the fizzes.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 12%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice30 ml (1 oz)
- Simple syrup10 ml (0.3 oz)
- Soda water80 ml (2.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Shake gin, lemon juice and syrup with ice.
- Strain into a chilled highball glass without ice.
- Top with soda water.
- Garnish with a lemon slice.
Garnish
Lemon slice
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel, it is carbonated and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
- Soda water
- Plain carbonated water. It goes in LAST and nothing is stirred after it. An open bottle goes flat fast, so small bottles make more sense than big ones.
The Story
A New Orleans fixture by the 1880s, when bars kept relays of bartenders shaking fizzes through the morning rush.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Gin Fizz mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Gin Fizz?
- Roughly 12% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Gin Fizz be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Gin Fizz hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.