This Gin Fizz recipe is an easy, shaken cocktail with a crowd-pleasing flavor and impressive look. The drink is fizzy, sweet, and citrusy while letting the gin flavor still shine through, making it a perfect beverage for gin lovers. Made with your favorite gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, egg whites, and club soda, this drink recipe uses simple ingredients you likely have on hand yet is so impressive when served in a tall glass with a slice of lemon.
A classic gin fizz always includes egg whites. The whites become foamy when shaken and rise to the top of the glass when poured over ice. Bubbly club soda is the finishing touch and adds refreshing carbonation, making this a great choice to serve poolside or on a hot day. For more gin cocktails, try my gimlet, Tom Collins, or Aviation Cocktail.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Gin – I like to use high-quality gin, especially in a simple cocktail such as this. The botanical notes of the gin will shine in this recipe, so splurge on your favorite brand if possible.
Club soda – adds fizz to this drink. Club soda is a specific type of carbonated soda water that has added minerals and usually sodium. It is often used in cocktails to add some fizz without competing with the feature flavors of the drink. You can use plain sparkling water in a pinch, but it won’t have quite the same flavor.
Lemons – fresh lemon juice is best in cocktails and offers superior flavor compared to bottled juice. Using a fresh lemon also provides lemon peel which you can use to garnish your glasses.
Simple syrup – use store-bought or homemade simple syrup to add sweetness and balance out the tart lemon flavor.
Egg – use freshly separated egg whites or pasteurized egg whites from a carton, if preferred. When shaken, the egg whites create a frothy topping, adding a fun finishing touch and a fantastic mouthfeel.
How to Make Gin Fizz
1. Add the gin to the cocktail shaker.
2. Add the lemon juice to the shaker.
3. Add the egg white to the shaker.
4. Add the simple syrup to the shaker. Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
5. Fill the shaker with ice and continue shaking until the outside of the shaker feels well chilled to the touch.
6. Strain into a chilled highball glass filled halfway with ice.
7. Top off the cocktail with club soda.
8. Garnish by adding a lemon slice.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Dry shake the cocktail first. A “dry shake” means you add the ingredients to the cocktail shaker and shake without ice. This is necessary when you have ingredients like egg whites that need a head start incorporating well with other ingredients. If you don’t do this before the ice is added, you won’t get as much foam and can end up with strands of egg white in your beverage.
- Shake, shake, shake. After adding the ice, shake the gin fizz cocktail vigorously for several seconds to help add air, chill the ingredients, and get the eggs frothier.
- Serve in a tall glass. Serve this classic cocktail over ice in a tall glass such as a high ball or Collins glass to best showcase the sparkling soda water and foamy top layer. Or, skip the ice and choose a rocks or lowball glass.
- Use larger ice cubes to prevent the drink from being watered down. Larger ice cubes work best for this cocktail instead of crushed ice. A crushed ice or smaller pellet ice will melt quickly, diluting the drink in addition to inhibiting the foam from rising and forming on the top.
- Use a large jar if you don’t have a cocktail shaker. You can make shaken cocktails in any large jar with a lid, such as a mason jar. Select a jar that will have enough room to add a handful of ice in addition to the cocktail ingredients. To strain, use the lid offset a bit to catch the ice but release the liquid, or use a fine mesh or hawthorn strainer.
- Sweeten things up. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, increase the amount of simple syrup to your liking.
Frequently Asked Questions
This cocktail recipe is similar to both a Ramos gin fizz and a French 75 cocktail. All three shaken cocktails use gin, citrus juice, and a fizzy addition. A Ramos gin fizz contains lime juice and heavy cream for a creamier drink, while a French 75 skips the egg white and is finished with champagne instead of club soda.
Because a frothy top is key to this gin egg white cocktail, shake the ingredients together just before serving. You can save time by squeezing your lemon juice, slicing the lemon garnish, and separating the egg whites ahead, but this drink is best shaken and served immediately.
The best gin will be one you love the flavor of most. This recipe works with dry gin, a botanical-infused gin with floral notes, or a citrus-forward type. I always recommend stocking your bar with good-quality gin for the best flavor in an easy cocktail like this one.
If you don’t have egg whites or prefer a drink without them, you can make this drink with aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. The aquafaba will create a similar froth as the egg whites when shaken while being plant-based and not having to worry about pasteurization., If you want the same flavor profile without the foam, try a Tom Collins cocktail! My recipe is a shaken cocktail that also uses lemon, gin, simple syrup, and soda water but does not contain egg whites.
To make sugar syrup for this and other cocktail recipes, combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook the syrup until the sugar is completely dissolved, usually for about a minute or so, then remove from the heat before transferring to a bottle, jar, or airtight container. Alternatively, combine equal parts of sugar and water in a mason jar and shake vigorously until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Homemade simple syrup keeps in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
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If you’ve tried this gin fizz recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Gin Fizz
Video
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
- Strainer
- Tall cocktail glass
Ingredients
- 2 ounce gin (60ml)
- 1 ounce lemon juice (30ml)
- ¾ ounce simple syrup (22ml)
- 1 egg white
- Club soda
- Lemon slice for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker without ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
- Fill the shaker with ice and continue shaking until the outside of the shaker is well chilled, about 30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled highball glass filled halfway with ice and top off with club soda. Garnish with a lemon slice.
Notes
- Dry shake the cocktail first. A “dry shake” means you add the ingredients to the cocktail shaker and shake without ice. This is necessary when you have ingredients like egg whites that need a head start incorporating well with other ingredients. If you don’t do this before the ice is added, you won’t get as much foam and can end up with strands of egg white in your beverage.
- Shake, shake, shake. After adding the ice, shake the gin fizz cocktail vigorously for several seconds to help add air, chill the ingredients, and get the eggs frothier.
- Serve in a tall glass. Serve this classic cocktail over ice in a tall glass such as a high ball or Collins glass to best showcase the sparkling soda water and foamy top layer. Or, skip the ice and choose a rocks or lowball glass.
- Use larger ice cubes to prevent the drink from being watered down. Larger ice cubes work best for this cocktail instead of crushed ice. A crushed ice or smaller pellet ice will melt quickly, diluting the drink in addition to inhibiting the foam from rising and forming on the top.
- Use a large jar if you don’t have a cocktail shaker. You can make shaken cocktails in any large jar with a lid, such as a mason jar. Select a jar that will have enough room to add a handful of ice in addition to the cocktail ingredients. To strain, use the lid offset a bit to catch the ice but release the liquid, or use a fine mesh or hawthorn strainer.
- Sweeten things up. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, increase the amount of simple syrup to your liking.
