The Fizz
Shaken citrus base, topped with soda — the bright, effervescent middle ground between the Sour and the Highball.
The Fizz occupies the middle ground between the Sour and the Highball, borrowing the fresh citrus and sweetener of the Sour and the carbonation of the Highball to create a drink that is both bright and refreshing. The formula: spirit shaken with fresh citrus and sugar, strained into a glass, then topped with soda water. The technique — shake first, then add soda — is what separates the Fizz from its relatives.
Fizzes are built on balance. The citrus provides acidity; the sugar softens the edges; the spirit drives the flavor; the soda opens everything up, carries the aromas, and extends the drink into a long, thirst-quenching pour. The Tom Collins is a Fizz in a tall glass with more ice. The French 75 replaces plain soda with Champagne. The Ramos Gin Fizz adds cream and egg white to create one of the most labor-intensive and rewarding drinks in the cocktail canon.
The Collins — the tall, ice-filled everyday cousin of the Fizz — shares the same formula but is served in a Collins glass with a higher mixer ratio. For all practical purposes, Collins cocktails are the comfortable, everyday version of the more formal Fizz.
Key Characteristics
Why This Formula Works
Shaking citrus and sugar with spirit before adding carbonation accomplishes two things: it creates a fully integrated sour base — cold, balanced, and precisely diluted — before the delicate carbonation is introduced. Adding soda after shaking rather than shaking it all together preserves the CO2 bubbles that would otherwise be beaten out of the drink. The result has the bright, tangy character of a Sour with the extended length and refreshing quality of a Highball, without sacrificing the qualities of either.
The Technique: Shake & Top
Combine the spirit, fresh citrus juice, and sweetener in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 10 to 12 seconds. Strain directly into a chilled Collins or highball glass filled with fresh ice, or into a chilled coupe without ice for a straight-up Fizz. Top slowly and gently with chilled soda water — pour it down the inner edge of the glass to preserve carbonation. Garnish and serve with a straw. Do not stir after adding soda.
Origins
The Fizz as a named category appears in American cocktail literature by the 1880s. William Terrington documented Fizz recipes in "Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks" (1869), one of the earliest systematic cocktail references. William Schmidt's "The Flowing Bowl" (1891) expanded the category considerably and established the shaken-then-topped technique as the standard method.
The Tom Collins has a notoriously colorful background. In the spring of 1874, a prank swept American cities: men would tell friends that someone named Tom Collins had been spreading insults about them at a bar on the next street. The victim would rush to confront this fictitious man, only to find no one. Whether the drink was named for, inspired by, or simply made famous by this hoax remains unclear. John Collins — a real waiter at Limmer's Hotel in London during the 1820s — also lends his name to the Collins branch of the family.
The Ramos Gin Fizz was created by Henry C. Ramos at his Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans in 1888. The recipe calls for extended shaking — Ramos specified 12 minutes — to build cream and egg white into a dense, stable foam. During Mardi Gras season, Ramos reportedly employed relay teams of bartenders working in shifts to handle demand.
The French 75 takes its name from the Canon de 75 modèle 1897, the French field gun known for its speed and accuracy during the First World War. The drink was first documented at Harry's New York Bar in Paris around 1915, and was said to hit with the same force as the gun it was named for.
The Defining Cocktail
Gin Fizz
A frothy and effervescent gin sour topped with sparkling soda.
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Classics
Modern Variations
Pro Tips
- Chill the glass and the soda before building — warm soda goes flat the moment it hits a warm surface
- Use soda water with strong carbonation — inexpensive brands often lose bubbles within minutes of opening
- Strain the shaken base directly onto the ice before adding soda, in that order
- For a French 75, use actual Champagne or Crémant — the quality of the wine changes the drink entirely
- For the Ramos Gin Fizz, dry shake without ice first for at least 2 full minutes to build the foam before adding ice and shaking again
Common Mistakes
- Shaking the soda — never shake carbonated ingredients; the CO2 will cause the shaker to pressurize and burst
- Using flat or warm soda water — bubbles are half the drink and cannot be replaced once lost
- Pouring soda too aggressively and losing all carbonation before serving
- Skipping the chill on the shaken base before adding soda — a warm base kills the fizz instantly on contact
- Using reconstituted lemon or lime juice instead of fresh — the flavor difference is significant and immediate