Gin Variations 2: The Gin Fizz

There’s not a lot of difference between the Gin Fizz and the Tom Collins, and a lot of confusion over what the difference is. They have the same ingredients, for sure; gin, lemon juice, sugar (or syrup) and soda water. The Fizz does often have egg white though, but this is properly called a silver fizz, and I’m guessing that as the egg makes it foam, or ‘fizz’, that is why some seize on this as a distinction.

David Wondrich’s conclusion is that basically the Collins was a tall drink with ice for drinking slowly and the Fizz was strained for knocking off rather quickly. This rings true with what else I have read. I like the Fizz, but I think I liked the Collins better. It’s a good drink, but don’t have too many. One 1890s Brooklynite apparently killed himself on Gin Fizzes. He did eat the glass as well though (for a bet), and that’s probably what did him in. It might sound like a stupid thing to do, but his judgement might have been somewhat impaired, as he had a reputation for drinking 40 Gin Fizzes a day. So go easy on them.

To get more of a different drink than the Collins, I tried the Silver Fizz.

Silver Fizz

2 oz Old Tom gin

1 oz lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp of powdered sugar

1 small egg white

soda water

lemon wedge

Dissolve half the sugar in lemon juice in the bottom of a Tom Collins glass. Add the egg white and gin. Shake well without ice (egg doesn’t mix well with ice) and hold on to the shaker tight as the egg tries to push it open. Add ice and shake again for a good 30 seconds. Strain into a narrow 6-8 ounce glass without ice. Top up with soda water. To get a little extra fizz going, add the rest of the sugar and stir again vigourously. Garnish with lemon wedge.