Drinks in History - Ramos Fizz

Ramos And His Fizz

By Maksym Pazuniak

The Man Behind New Orleans’ Second Most Famous Cocktail

“Just the old fellows with a tender spot in their hearts and a longing in their stomachs for the ripe days of yore when mixed drinks were cool and smooth and stimulating, poignant and refreshing, expanding and enheartening, trouble erasing and joy bringing, plentiful and inexpensive – just the old fellows who were the good fellows are invited to read further down this column.”

So began the heartfelt tribute to Henry Charles Ramos by Don Higgins of the New Orleans Item-Tribune, later reprinted after his death in September of 1928. It was a fitting column, a celebration of a man who took seriously the bartender profession and regarded his saloon as a venue for enjoying a cocktail and company, but never a place to drink to the point of embarrassing inebriation.

Ramos came to New Orleans from Baton Rouge in 1887 and took over the Imperial Cabinet Saloon at the corner of Gravier and Carondelet. In 1907, he purchased the Stag Saloon, near Gravier and St. Charles, where his bar became a renowned tourist destination.

Though his lack of patience for those who couldn’t handle their liquor was notorious, Ramos became most famous for inventing a smooth-as-silk cocktail known as the Ramos Gin Fizz. A frothy, citrusy drink made with beaten egg whites and cream, the Ramos became an instant classic.

The demand for this labor-intensive cocktail was so great that Ramos employed as many as thirty-five “shaker boys” during Mardi Gras in 1915, and customers often waited as long as an hour for their drink. While Prohibition forced Ramos to close his doors, the cocktail survived and reappeared at the Roosevelt Hotel in the 1930s, where it gained fame as Governor Huey Long’s favorite drink.

Ramos’ legacy is a quintessentially New Orleans cocktail, an ideal tonic to soothe the stomach after a long night of drinking or to stimulate the soul in the early evening. The egg whites and cream, the extended period of shaking, and the relatively rare ingredient, orange flower water, have conspired to undermine the reputation of the Ramos in New Orleans’ drinking vernacular. While any bartender can take a stab at a Sazerac, a Ramos is an entirely different beast, requiring not just obscure items, but patience and skill. Fortunately, the Ramos Gin Fizz is far from extinct and even thriving in certain circles. Nationally, the Ramos is more available today than it has ever been, as craft cocktail bars across the country have rediscovered its charm. Here in New Orleans, the Ramos can be found at Bar UnCommon, the French 75 Bar at Arnaud’s, at any Brennan establishment, and at Cure. So next time you order one in New Orleans or elsewhere, raise your glass to the old fellow who was the good fellow who gave New Orleans this signature drink.

Maksym Pazuniak writes about cocktails and bartends at Cure. Rhiannon Enlil located the grave of Henry C. Ramos in Metairie Cemetery

Ramos Fizz

Before you even start this, remember you have to shake this for 5 minutes. Try to use soda from a siphon to make it a bit more authentic. 2 oz. Oxley Gin 3/4 oz. Milk 3/4 oz. Double Cream 1/2 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup Dash Orange Water 1/2 egg white Top up with soda Shake all ingredients except soda with ice for five minutes and strain over ice then top up with soda.

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