New York, United States

Gin Fizz

Also known as Silver Fizz, Classic Gin Fizz

A bright, frothy, and refreshing gin drink that's essentially a tall, carbonated Gin Sour.

citrusjuniperfizzyrefreshingsourbotanicalfoamylightsummerbrunch

ABV

Difficulty

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip hits with sharp citrus and a soft, airy foam that melts on your tongue. The middle opens up the gin's botanicals—juniper and whatever else your bottle brings—riding over a gentle sweetness. It finishes clean and dry, with the soda water scrubbing everything away so you're ready for the next gulp.

Who will like it

For people who like sour, refreshing drinks where the spirit still has room to show.

When to drink

This is a warm-weather afternoon drink—brunch on a patio, or any time you'd reach for a cold beer but want something with a little more going on.

Ordering tip

If you want it drier, ask for less simple syrup; if you want more texture, ask the bartender to dry-shake before adding soda.

Ice: CubedTemp: ColdCost: $2–$4Glass: HighballHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

This drink is built around sharp citrus and botanical gin, stretched out with cold soda water until it's practically chuggable. The sweetness sits in the background, just enough to keep the lemon from being harsh. If you use the egg white, you get this soft, pillowy foam on top that adds a creamy texture the first few sips before it melts in. It's not a complicated drink, but the fizz and the foam make it feel alive in the glass.

Finish: The finish is short and clean, with lingering lemon and a faint juniper breath that fades quickly.

Primary tastes

sourherbalsweet

Secondary

floralfruity

Aroma

junipercitrus zestlight botanicals

Bitternesslow bitterness
There's almost no bitterness here—just a faint edge from the gin's botanicals if you look for it.
Sweetnessmoderate sweetness
The simple syrup takes the sharp edge off the lemon but stops well short of making it a sweet drink.
Sournessfairly sour
The lemon juice is front and center, giving the drink a bright, mouth-puckering kick that the soda softens but doesn't hide.
Strengthmoderate strength
The gin is present but the soda and ice stretch it out, so it drinks lighter than a Martini or a Negroni.
Refreshingvery refreshing
Cold, fizzy, and citrusy—this is about as refreshing as a cocktail gets, which is why it's a summer staple.
Creaminesslight body
The egg white adds a soft, silky texture on top, but underneath the drink is lean and watery in a good way.
Complexitymoderate complexity
It's a simple formula—gin, citrus, sweet, fizz—but the interplay between the foam, the botanicals, and the carbonation keeps it interesting.

Recipe

Make it at home

Shaken · Highball · equal parts on Gin. London Dry recommended for the classic dry, juniper-forward profile

Before you start

Chill your highball glass in the freezer for a few minutes if you have time, and make sure your club soda is cold—warm soda goes flat fast and you'll lose the fizz that makes this drink work.

Ingredients

GinBase SpiritLondon Dry recommended for the classic dry, juniper-forward profile45ml
Fresh Lemon JuiceJuiceFresh squeezed only—bottled lemon juice tastes flat and metallic here22ml
Simple SyrupSyrup1:1 ratio sugar to water; adjust up or down to taste15ml
Club SodaSodaCold, freshly opened—flat soda kills the fizz90ml
Egg WhiteoptionalDairyOptional but traditional for the signature foam cap; omit for a fizz without the froth1
Lemon WheelGarnish1 slice

Garnish: Lemon wheel

Tools

Cocktail Shaker · Shaking
Shaking the gin, citrus, syrup, and egg white to chill, dilute, and create foam
At home: A large mason jar with a tight lid
Jigger · Measuring
Measuring the gin, lemon juice, and syrup accurately
At home: A measuring shot glass or tablespoon (1 tbsp ≈ 15ml)
Hawthorne Strainer · Straining
Straining the ice out when pouring the shaken mix into the glass
At home: A slotted spoon or fine mesh sieve
Highball Glass · Serving
Serving the drink—tall enough to hold the spirit, ice, and soda with room for foam
At home: Any tall glass around 300–400ml capacity
Bar Spoon · Mixing
Stirring gently after adding the soda so you don't knock the fizz out
At home: A long-handled teaspoon or chopstick
Citrus Juicer · optional · Other
Extracting juice from the lemon efficiently
At home: Squeeze by hand over a small strainer to catch seeds

Steps

1
Crack one egg white into your shaker if you're using it—check for shell fragments and fish them out. Add 45ml gin, 22ml fresh lemon juice, and 15ml simple syrup on top of the egg white so it coats the bottom evenly.
!Getting shell fragments in the shaker—crack the egg on a flat surface, not the edge of the shaker.
2
Put the lid on the shaker and shake hard without any ice for about 10 seconds. This dry shake whips the egg white into a thick foam before the ice goes in—you'll feel the shaker get lighter and hear the sound turn from sloshing to a softer, thicker thud when it's ready.
~10s
!Skipping the dry shake—if you add ice first, the egg white won't foam properly and you'll get a thin, watery head.
3
Open the shaker, add a generous handful of ice—enough to fill it about three-quarters full—and seal it again. Shake hard for another 10 to 12 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels frosty and almost too cold to hold. That's how you know the drink is properly chilled and diluted.
~12s
!Under-shaking—if the shaker doesn't feel frosty, the drink will be warm and the foam will collapse fast.
4
Take your chilled highball glass and fill it to the top with fresh ice—big cubes if you have them, since they melt slower. Set it aside while you strain.
!Using old, wet ice from a melting bucket—it waters the drink down before you even pour.
5
Pop the lid off the shaker and strain the contents into the ice-filled highball glass using a Hawthorne strainer. Pour slowly so the foam settles on top in an even layer rather than spilling over the rim.
!Pouring too fast and overflowing—the foam expands as it hits the glass, so leave a little room at the top.
6
Top the drink with about 90ml cold club soda, pouring it gently down the inside of the glass so you don't blast through the foam. Give it one gentle stir with a bar spoon—just enough to mix the soda through without killing the bubbles. You'll see the foam rise up as the soda settles in.
!Stirring too aggressively after adding soda—you'll knock all the carbonation out and end up with a flat drink.
7
Place a lemon wheel on the rim of the glass or float it on top of the foam. Serve it right away while it's still cold and fizzy—the foam and fizz both fade quickly.
!Letting the drink sit too long before serving—the whole point is the foam cap and the fizz, and both disappear within a few minutes.

Serve

Serve it in a highball glass with fresh ice and a lemon wheel. Drink it soon—the foam and carbonation are half the experience, and they don't wait around.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for Gin

GinVodka
Match
Common availability
Gin → Vodka: Loses the botanical character entirely; the drink becomes a clean, neutral citrus fizz without the juniper backbone.
GinOld Tom Gin
Match
Specialty availability
Gin → Old Tom Gin: Adds a slightly sweeter, maltier profile that pushes the drink closer to its 19th-century roots.

Swap options for Fresh Lemon Juice

Fresh Lemon JuiceFresh Lime Juice
Match
Common availability
Fresh Lemon Juice → Fresh Lime Juice: Shifts the citrus from bright and sharp to greener and more aromatic, leaning the drink toward a Southside Fizz profile.

Swap options for Simple Syrup

Simple SyrupHoney Syrup
Match
Common availability
Simple Syrup → Honey Syrup: Adds a floral, slightly earthy sweetness that rounds off the sharp edges and gives the drink more weight.
Simple SyrupAgave Syrup
Match
Common availability
Simple Syrup → Agave Syrup: A lighter, cleaner sweetness that doesn't change the flavor much but feels a touch less rich on the tongue.

Swap options for Egg White

Egg WhiteAquafaba
Match
Common availability
Egg White → Aquafaba: Creates similar foam without the egg, though the texture is slightly lighter and breaks down a bit faster.

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Similar cocktail

Tom Collins

A Tom Collins is built in the glass and stirred, while a Gin Fizz is shaken and strained, giving it a different texture and often a foam cap.

Match

They taste almost the same at their core, but the Gin Fizz has a creamier, more textured sip from the shake and foam, while the Tom Collins is simpler and more directly fizzy.

In common: gin-citrus-soda backbone, long, refreshing, carbonated, served over ice in a tall glass

Ingredients

Both share

Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Club Soda

Only in Gin Fizz

Egg White

The ingredient lists are nearly identical, but the Gin Fizz often includes an egg white for foam, and the preparation method differs—shaken versus built.

Flavor

Shared flavors

bright citrus-gin profile, effervescent and refreshing, clean, dry finish

How Tom Collins differs

Gin Fizz has a softer, frothier mouthfeel from shaking and egg white, Tom Collins feels more straightforward and carbonated

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Ramos Gin Fizz

The Ramos adds cream and orange flower water, making it richer, heavier, and floral rather than bright and lean.

Match

The Ramos is the Gin Fizz's richer cousin—same family, but the cream and orange flower water make it a dessert-like experience while the Gin Fizz stays light and brisk.

In common: gin-citrus-soda structure, shaken with egg white, foam cap

Ingredients

Both share

Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Club Soda

Only in Ramos Gin Fizz

Heavy Cream, Orange Flower Water, Fresh Lime Juice

The Ramos keeps the same base but adds heavy cream, orange flower water, and lime juice, turning a light fizz into a rich, floral, milkshake-thick drink.

Flavor

Shared flavors

botanical gin backbone, citrus brightness, foamy head

How Ramos Gin Fizz differs

Ramos is much creamier and heavier, Ramos has a distinct floral note from the orange flower water, Gin Fizz is sharper and more refreshing

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Gimlet

A Gimlet uses lime instead of lemon, skips the soda, and is served short without ice, making it a concentrated sour rather than a tall, fizzy refresher.

Match

A Gimlet hits like a focused gin-lime punch in a small glass, while the Gin Fizz stretches the same idea out with soda and lemon into something you can sip slowly.

In common: gin-forward with citrus, shaken and served cold

Ingredients

Both share

Gin, Simple Syrup

Only in Gin Fizz

Fresh Lemon Juice, Club Soda, Egg White

Only in Gimlet

Fresh Lime Juice

The Gimlet strips the formula down to gin, lime, and sweet—no soda, no egg white, no lemon—served up in a small glass instead of tall over ice.

Flavor

Shared flavors

botanical gin character, citrus-sweet balance

How Gimlet differs

Gimlet is stronger and more concentrated, Gimlet uses lime for a greener, sharper citrus, Gin Fizz is lighter, longer, and carbonated

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

The Gin Fizz emerged in the 1870s in the United States, likely evolving from the gin sour by adding soda water. Jerry Thomas included a recipe in his 1887 revised edition, and by the 1890s it was one of the most popular drinks in American bars. The exact creator is unknown, and the line between a Gin Fizz and a Tom Collins from that era is blurry at best.

Era: 1870s
IBA: The Unforgettables
Data version: IBA current spec
Confidence

The IBA lists the Gin Fizz under The Unforgettables with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and soda. The egg white is traditional in many older recipes but is not in the IBA spec; I've marked it optional. The line between a Gin Fizz and a Tom Collins is historically blurry and varies by source.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

Dry shake first if using egg white—it makes all the difference for foam.
Use the coldest soda you have and never shake it.
Adjust the syrup after you taste; lemons vary wildly in acidity.
Drink it fast—the fizz and foam don't wait.

Avoid

Common mistakes

Don't skip the dry shake if you want real foam.
Don't stir hard after adding soda or you'll kill the bubbles.
Don't use bottled lemon juice—it tastes flat and metallic.