Gin Drinks

Michael:

Both Abby and I think it is incredibly cool to try the cocktails that have gone completely out of style for some reason or another - though I would think no reason is good enough for many of those drinks to be underappreciated.  Firstly would be the Ramos Gin Fizz, which is positively delicious.  We had seen it several times while perusing various other blogs.  Its single obscure ingredient (for most Americans) is orange flower water.  We made ours with a few drops of vanilla extract; this is apparently sacrilige to some, but it was pretty tasty regardless.  The recipe we used is as follows:

1 shot gin
1 egg white

2 oz cream
3-4 drops orange flower water
2 drops vanilla extract

1/2 oz each of lime juice and lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup

Shake dry first for about a minute, then shake with ice for however long you like.  Longer is better.  Then pour and top with soda water. 

Of course, after all the shaking, we had completely forgotten about the soda water.  We ended up both having a Ramos Gin, apparently, but it was still pretty darn good.  Next time, the plan is to actually follow through and add the soda water.  I'd also really like to try the Rose Gin Fizz recipe from here.

The second drink is a Fizz a la Violette.  It uses a more obscure ingredient in that orange flower water can often be found in Middle Eastern marketplaces, whereas a Fizz a la Violette uses creme de violette, which only recently came back into production after a long hiatus.  We used the Rothman & Winter brand.  The recipe I used is: 

2 oz gin

1 oz creme de violette
1 egg white
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 oz each of lime juice and lemon juice
Shake this in the same manner as the Ramos Gin Fizz, though longer shaking is unnecessary here.  Top with soda water. 

Personally, I really like the sweet, almost dusky flavor of the creme de violette, so I omit the citrus juices in the recipe.  I'm a sucker for sweet, so I might not be the best judge.  Adjust accordingly to your own taste, as always.  I am contemplating trying this with a bit of rose flower water, but haven't had the courage (for lack of a better word) to try yet.

A quick note here:  If you worry about the idea of egg white in your drinks, don't.  It's completely unnoticeable flavor-wise and is used solely for texture.  Plus, it has protein.  Pretend it's making your drinks healthful.  If salmonella is your concern, buy a box of white.  They're relatively cheap and go a long way.

Abby:

I lied to myself.  I did not make a Blue Moon, as originally planned.  Instead, I did something that I'm certain has been done before, although I haven't come across it yet.  The bitters in this drink are not optional -- and next time, I would add another dash.  It was very enjoyable, even for somebody who doesn't like the taste of gin as much as I do.

1-1/2 oz Gordons gin

juice of 1 orange

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Fill to top with seltzer

Shake all ingredients but the seltzer in a shaker, with ice.  Strain into a glass filled with ice.  Finish with a twist of orange.