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This Gin Fizz Cocktail is sweet, tart, frothy, and creamy. It’s delightfully light and rich at the same time. It’s made with gin, fresh lemon juice, egg white, a touch of soda water, and naturally sweetened with homemade simple syrup or maple syrup!
Easy Gin Fizz Recipe
It’s time for a cocktail classic: the Gin Fizz Cocktail! My husband Mike has been making this cocktail for the past few months whenever we have guests over and everyone simply loves it. His addition of a ground nutmeg garnish is the perfect touch!
So let’s discuss! This simple drink is absolutely perfect for parties or for a cozy night at home. It’s one of those special drinks that makes me feel like I’m in a fancy jazz bar or someplace swanky even when I’m cozied up by the fire in the living room!
Worth noting: Unlike my classic margarita or my holiday punch, both of which I can enjoy a few of (depending on the night!), this is a drink I usually have just one of because it’s delightfully light and rich all at the same time.
Ingredients Needed for Mike’s Gin Fizz!
- Gin: use your favorite variety, but the better the quality, the better the cocktail! I like Hendrick’s or a local gin if you have one!.
- Lemon Juice: use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Simple Syrup or Maple Syrup: whip up a quick batch of homemade simple syrup in just 5 minutes or use maple syrup!
- Ice: shaking the drink with ice cools it off without having to serve it with ice cubes in the glass. Though I do love adding ice, too!
- Egg White: the egg white (plus the carbonation from the soda water) is what gives the drink that foamy finish.
- Club Soda: you can use store-bought soda water or make your own using a soda stream (see below). Note: I’ve also made this with Spindrift and it was yummy!
- Garnishes: Mike garnishes our glasses with sprinkle of ground nutmeg and a lemon twist. The nutmeg is a great addition and it’s his signature addition!
Tools We Use For This Cocktail
- Cocktail Shaker
- Cocktail Strainer
- Bar Measuring Tools
- Citrus Juicer or this one! Both work great. I like the latter if it’s more than just Mike and I, so I can just more lemons at once!
P.S. No cocktail shaker? You can still make this gin fizz by using a a glass mason jar! When pouring the drink, you will just want to use a strainer to keep the ice in your mason jar!
The Rundown… How to Make a Gin Fizz Cocktail
This gin fizz recipe comes together in a matter of minutes!
- Combine all ingredients! In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white. Shake for 15 seconds
- Add the Ice... Then add in the ice. This is called a dry shake! Shake for another 30 seconds or until the outside of the shaker is cold and has some condensation.
- Add soda water: Strain the drink into a glass and top it off with soda water. The carbonation with the egg white makes the beautiful foamy topping!!
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with ground nutmeg and a lemon twist and serve immediately.
FYI: How to Make Your Own Soda Water
A few years ago, my brother and sister-in-law gifted us a soda stream because Mike loves water, or “bubbles”, as my daughter would say. Recently, we were craving gin fizz cocktails but we were out of club soda, so we used the soda stream to make homemade soda water! It was super easy, super bubbly, and great for topping off a delicious cocktail.
The Question I Get Asked…Is it Safe to Use Egg White in a Cocktail?
I definitely am not going to tell you it’s completely safe to consume any egg or egg white that isn’t cooked. However, food safety regulations require that most chickens be vaccinated against salmonella. With that, the risks of getting sick from using an egg white for a cocktail are very, very minimal.
Simply put, if it makes you uncomfortable, try one of our other cocktails!
Can I Make Cocktails (That Call For Egg Whites) Without Egg Whites?
Yes! You have another option! You can make a vegan version of this gin fizz cocktail using aquafaba, which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Yes, the liquid from a can of chickpeas! It results in the same foamy creaminess that you would get by using an egg white. This is a great option if you’re vegan or avoiding raw egg!
To swap the egg white out for aquafaba, use 2 tablespoons for every 1 egg white.
Fun Fact Question: Is a Tom Collins the Same as a Gin Fizz?
Not quite! While both drinks have essentially the same ingredients, they are slightly different.
A gin fizz cocktail is made with egg white and shaken until foamy and creamy. A Tom Collins, on the other hand, is usually stirred, minimally fizzy, and typically made without egg white at all.
Gin Fizz Cocktail Tips and Tricks
- Shake without ice first. The “dry shake” without ice allows the protein in the egg to form foam without being compromised by the ice. I recommend shaking first with no ice, then adding the ice and shaking again to chill the drink.
- Don’t shake with soda water. Add the soda water last after everything else is already mixed. Shaking the soda water with the rest of the ingredients will flatten the bubbles. We want the fizz!
- Swap the sweetener. If you don’t want to make simple syrup, you can swap it out for maple syrup instead.
- Make it virgin. The sweetener, lemon juice, egg white, and club soda make a pretty delicious mocktail.
More Delicious Cocktails You’ll Love
- NYE Holiday Champagne Punch
- Orange Cranberry Margarita
- Aperol Spritz
- Slow Cooker Mulled Cider (with a Caramel Pecan Rim)
- Rose Sangria
Mike's Gin Fizz Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounce gin 4 tablespoons
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons
- ½ ounce simple syrup 1 tablespoon, can use maple syrup
- Ice
- 1 egg white
- Club soda to top (about 1 ounce/2 tablespoons)
- Ground Nutmeg for garnish
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup (or maple syrup) and egg white to a cocktail shaker and shake for roughly 15 seconds.
- Add ice to your cocktail shaker and shake for another 30 seconds until cold (the shaker will get cold and have some condensation on the outside)!
- Strain into a glass and top with the soda water!
- Garnish with ground nutmeg and a lemon twist, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The egg white + the carbonation of the soda water will create foam that form on top!
what fun, haven’t had a gin fizz in way too long, a very nice excuse to see if my memory of them holds up, so thank you!
YES! Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Very delicious! Light but rich at the same time.