Boozehound - Jason Wilson [32]
It’s because of commercial sour mix that certain basic drinks—even though everyone has heard of them—rarely are served the right way. Prime among those are two hot-weather favorites, the Collins and the Fizz. The two are very similar. Both use a base spirit, fresh lemon juice, and a little bit of sugar or simple syrup, and are topped with soda water or sparkling water (I like using Apollinaris brand, with its flavorful minerality and small bubbles). Very simple, very cool, very delicious. The key differences are that a Collins uses slightly more gin and is built in an ice-filled Collins glass, while a Fizz is shaken (sometimes with egg white) and strained into either an ice-filled Collins glass or an iceless highball glass.
The Tom Collins is the simpler of the two, and it is always clear. It originally was made with Old Tom gin, and its cousins were soon to follow: Mike Collins (Irish whiskey), Jack Collins (applejack), Pedro Collins (rum), Pierre Collins (cognac), and, of course, John Collins.
JOHN COLLINS
Serves 1
3 ounces genever
1½ ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
Sparkling mineral water
Lemon slice, for garnish
Fill a Collins glass with ice. Add the genever, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Top with the mineral water and stir gently. Garnish with the lemon slice.
The Fizz is also one of the great underappreciated cocktails—a palette on which to experiment. There are so many variations to play with, beginning with the basic Gin Fizz. A Fizz with egg white is called a Silver Fizz, one with egg yolk a Golden Fizz, and one with whole egg a Royal Fizz. A Crimson Fizz adds crushed strawberries, while a Green Fizz adds a teaspoon of crème de menthe. A Diamond Fizz eschews water for sparkling wine. An Apple Blossom is a Silver Fizz made with applejack. The Brandy Fizz replaces gin with brandy; a Sea Fizz replaces it with absinthe. A Purple Fizz uses sloe gin and grapefruit juice; a Pineapple Fizz calls for white rum and pineapple juice.
“What’s the difference, if any, between a Tom Collins and a Gin Fizz?” asks David A. Embury in his 1948 cocktail geek bible, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. “I insist a Fizz should actually fizz.” Embury suggests keeping in mind a basic formula: sweet (sugar, syrup, or liqueur), sour (lemon or lime juice), strong (the liquor), and weak (the sparkling water and ice). “If you keep these principles firmly in mind,” he writes, “you can ad lib ad infinitum.”
Here are my two very favorite Fizzes.
SLOE GIN FIZZ
Serves 1
2 ounces Plymouth sloe gin
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Sparkling mineral water
Orange slice, for garnish
Fill a shaker two-thirds full with ice. Add the sloe gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake well, then strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice and top with the mineral water. Garnish with the orange slice.
NOTE: I occasionally like to substitute 2 dashes of Angostura bitters for the simple syrup if I want a slightly less sweet drink.
VIOLET FIZZ
Serves 1
1½ ounces gin
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce crème de violette or Crème Yvette
1 tablespoon egg white
Sparkling mineral water
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the gin, lemon juice, crème de violette, and egg white. Shake vigorously for at least 1 minute. The egg white should get frothy. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and top with the mineral water.
NOTE: If you have a sweet tooth and absolutely must, you may add ½ teaspoon of sugar.
CHAPTER 4
ROMANCE: THEY POUR IT ON
TRUTH IS BEAUTIFUL, WITHOUT DOUBT; BUT SO ARE