Classic Gin Fizz Cocktail (The Best!)

Looking for the best gin cocktail recipe? Try a refreshing gin fizz: it’s sweet, tangy and topped with fluffy egg white foam.

Have you ever had a gin fizz? This is one of the best uses for a bottle of gin (Really). This classic cocktail from the 1870s is perfectly balanced, both sweet and tart with hints of lemon and a botanical finish. Plus a fluffy egg white mousse filling that gives every sip the best creamy texture. Oh, and it only takes 5 minutes to make! Are you ready to experience this legendary gin cocktail?

Gin fizz ingredients

The Gin Fizz is a classic cocktail made with gin, lemon, simple syrup and sparkling water. The first printed recipe for a gin fizz was in an 1876 cocktail book, and the drink became popular from the 1900s. It’s a classic sour cocktail that contains citrus, liqueur and sweetener. An egg white is the magic behind this classic fluffy mousse filling!

For the sweetener in Gin Fizz, you can use either regular plain syrup or maple syrup as a natural sweetener. It adds more interesting nuanced notes here (and it doesn’t taste like maple, I promise!). Here are the gin fizz ingredients you need:

How to make a gin fizz cocktail

How do you make a gin fizz? You will first mix the gin, fresh lemon juice, syrup and egg white in a shaker without ice, then add ice and pour into two glasses. (It’s called Dry Shake; see below!)

As you top up each glass with sparkling water, the carbonation combines with the egg whites to form a frothy froth. It’s like magic! And it’s a trick that will impress all your guests.

The foam topping trick: a dry shake!

How it works? Since the 1860s, bartenders have been adding egg whites to cocktails for two reasons: It gives the drink’s surface a frothy texture and adds a rich, creamy flavor to each sip. Most drinks are shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker. But in this gin fizz you do what we call one shake dry. This is how it works:

• Shake the drink ingredients without ice First. This allows the protein in the egg to start foaming instead of being diluted by the ice.
• Then add ice and shake again. This will cool the drink and increase the foam. Strain into the glass and you will get a thick layer of white foam.

This method is used on many classic cocktails and results in a nice layer of white foam. Check out the Boston Sour or the Pisco Sour for another frothy drink.

What is a vegan protein substitute for cocktails?

Now let’s say you have a vegan guest: or you are on a plant-based diet yourself. What to use as a vegan protein substitute in cocktails? The answer: Aquafaba. What is that? Aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas. Because it’s so starchy, it can act as an egg-like binding agent.

Since 2 tablespoons of aquafaba equals 1 egg white, you can use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba in this recipe as the equivalent of the actual egg white. It’s the same kind of foam!

Which shaker do I need?

Cocktail shakers are inexpensive and totally worth the cabinet space. A cocktail shaker quickly chills cocktails by shaking them against ice, and then has a perforated lid so you can pour the cocktail without pouring in the ice as well. Here is the shaker we use: Cocktail shaker | Amazon

What can I replace a cocktail shaker with? Well, if you’re in a hurry, you can use a glass instead! Pour the cocktail into the glass and fill with ice. Put it on and shake! When pouring the cocktail, you will need to use a strainer or other strainer to keep the ice in the mason jar.

Which gin should I buy?

You should use high quality gin for this gin fizz! The better the gin, the better the drink. The easiest way to tell if a gin is high quality? Don’t buy the cheapest gin you can find. Try investing in a mid-range gin: the drink will only taste as good as the gin you invest in! You might also be looking for local gin if you have distilleries in your area. Here in Indianapolis, our friends at 8th Day Distillery make a local gin that’s a fun local find.

Make your own sparkling water

Of course you can buy sparkling water for a gin fizz. But you can also do it at home! To make our sparkling water, we used ours soda stream (which we’re obsessed with!) We bought it to make healthy alternative soft drinks and ended up falling in love with the refreshing bubbles.

Varieties of Gin Fizz

There are a few famous variations of gin fizz that you must try if you like this recipe. Here are some other famous drinks from the Fizz family:

• Ramos Gin Fizz Invented in New Orleans in the 1880s, this drink tastes like lemon meringue pie. How to improve gin fizz, you might ask? This one does.
• Sloe Gin Fizz A fruity twist on the classic! This drink replaces gin with sloe gin, which is actually not gin at all.
• Tom Collins Did you know that the classic Tom Collins has the same ingredients as a gin fizz… except for the egg whites?

And there you have it: How to Make a Gin Fizz!

We hope you find this gin fizz your new favorite cocktail. I like tangy cocktails like margaritas and love sour beers, so this sweet and tangy soft drink hit the spot for me. Let us know in the comments below if you do!

There is so much more you can do with gin, from the classic gin and tonic to the watermelon gin cocktail, from the hanky panky to the gin gimlet. Go to our The best gin cocktails.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free. For vegans and plant-based, use aquafaba (see below).

Looking for more drink recipes?

Aside from this gin fizz recipe, here are a few of our favorite drink recipes:

Last update: March 2021