This Friday, Gilt Taste is happy to launch its 2011 Entertaining online catalog. The following is a peek of the sorts of things we have in store for you. Enjoy! – Ed.
Over the last few years, classic cocktails have surged in popularity: Sidecars, Ward 8s, and Old Fashioneds once again grace bar menus from coast to coast. Also due for a comeback: the refreshing, delightful Fizz – the perfect libation for languorous days.
Fizzes first appeared in the mid-19thcentury: six recipes for these concoctions were included in The Bon Vivant’s Companion (1862), the earliest cocktail book ever printed. They became hugely popular in New Orleans, whose Ramos Gin Fizz arguably rivaled the Mint Julep and Sazerac as the city’s mascot cocktail.
What is a Fizz exactly? Once cited by legendary bartender Trader Vic as “an early-morning drink with a definite purpose – a panacea for hang-overs,” the Fizz includes the following ingredients: liquor, lemon or lime juice, and sugar, which are shaken with ice, strained into a cocktail or Collins glass, and topped off with fizzing seltzer or Champagne. Eggs are often added, cutting the sharp taste of the gin and citrus, and endowing the Fizz with a unique velvety-yet-light texture. A “Silver Fizz” uses only egg whites; a “Golden Fizz” includes an egg yolk; and a “Royal Fizz” greedily incorporates a whole egg.
This week, we decided to bring the Gin Fizz up to date, using Royal Rose’s delectable flavored simple syrups instead of plain sugar. The results were astonishingly good. Among the following six new recipes, there is something for everyone: savory and sweet, morning drinks and nightcaps – the whole gamut.
The Three Chilis Royal Fizz
This delicious, savory Royal Fizz is the perfect brunch drink: a wonderful alternative to the Bloody Mary or the Mimosa. Serve it with Huevos Rancheros or scrambled eggs with cilantro.
2 ounces gin
1 tablespoon Royal Rose Three Chilis syrup
1 whole egg
Juice of ½ lemon
Seltzer, to taste
1. Shake with plenty of crushed ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass or Champagne coupe, and top with seltzer to taste.
* * *
The Tamarind Royal Fizz
An excellent afternoon or cocktail hour drink, splendid when served with hard cheese and flavored nuts (such as cashews dusted with curry powder or garam masala).
2 ounces gin
2 tablespoons Royal Rose Tamarind syrup
1 whole egg
Juice of ½ lemon
Fresh rosemary
Seltzer, to taste
1. Shake with plenty of crushed ice and a large sprig of rosemary, strain into a chilled cocktail glass or Champagne coupe, and top with seltzer to taste. Rub the rim of the glass with rosemary, and garnish with a small rosemary sprig.
* * *
The Lavender-Lemon Silver Fizz
A wonderful front-porch drink, this grown-up lemonade is best adorned with a deep wicker chair and hand-held fan. It would also make a lovely tea-time libation, served with macaroons.
2 ounces gin
1 teaspoon Royal Rose Lavender-Lemon syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg white
1 tablespoon seltzer
1. Shake with plenty of crushed ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass or Champagne coupe, and top with a tablespoon of seltzer. Grate a bit of lemon zest over the top. If too sweet, temper with more lemon juice.
* * *
The Rose-Cardamom Silver Fizz
The flavor of Rose can be overpowering – but not in this gentle cocktail. The cardamom balances it beautifully, and it would make a lovely supper-time cocktail, followed by a delicious French meal of buttery, herbed chicken or white fish.
2 ounces gin
1 tablespoon Royal Rose Rose syrup
Juice of ¼ lemon
1 egg white
4 cardamom pods, broken
1 tablespoon seltzer
1. Shake with plenty of crushed ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass or Champagne coupe, and top with a tablespoon of seltzer.
* * *
The Raspberry Diamond Fizz
This drink calls for celebrating: its pink hue makes it an ideal fit for bridal showers and similarly femme affairs. Yet don’t dismiss it as overly-girly fare: this cocktail is in equal parts sweet and tart, and sports none of the saccharine stickiness of the Cosmopolitan and its cousins.
PS – A “Diamond Fizz” uses Champagne instead of seltzer as a finisher.
2 ounces gin
1 tablespoons Royal Rose Raspberry syrup
Juice of ½ lemon
1 egg white
8 fresh raspberries, quartered
Champagne, to splash
1. Shake with plenty of crushed ice, strain into a chilled Champagne coupe, and top with a splash of Champagne.
Comments