I don’t know about you guys, but the first week of every semester is one of the most stressful for me. I have never had a professor who just goes over the syllabus and assigns no homework during syllabus week. In fact, they all seem to hit the ground running. So, if your professors are anything like mine, I’m sure your life has gotten instantly more complicated this week than it was over break. Now, we could uncomplicate your life a little with some alcohol. Or, alternatively, let’s overcomplicate it with a drink that matches your week: the Ramos Gin Fizz.
For those who don’t know what this beverage is, it’s really simple ingredients-wise. It’s no Bloody Mary, that’s for sure. The challenge comes with the sheer physical effort it takes to create it.
To begin, you must pour nearly all of the ingredients into a shaker — which I’m sure the bougie college students among us may own, but the rest of us may just have to improvise with a to-go coffee mug. That being said, the drink is bougie and pretentious in and of itself, so if you plan on making it, you might as well buy a shaker to complete the aesthetic. The ingredients include: two ounces of gin, half an ounce of heavy cream, half an ounce of lemon juice, half an ounce of lime juice, three fourth ounces of simple syrup, three dashes of orange flower water and one fresh egg white. Yes, these are odd ingredients, especially the heavy cream and the egg white. But they’re necessary to get the milkshake-like consistency you’re going for.
Now shake vigorously. And when I say vigorously, I mean shake until you truly run out of the energy to shake more. Then, pass it to your friend and have them shake it even longer. Once you’re both exhausted — ideally after 12 to 15 minutes — you’re ready for the next step: add ice and shake again until chilled. The problem most people face with this drink is that they don’t shake it enough to achieve the necessary consistency. You really have to think about it as if you’re baking and trying to simultaneously whip egg whites to soft peaks and heavy cream into whipped cream.
Once the drink is chilled, strain it into a Collins glass — or a stolen dining hall mug, whichever is on hand. Add a little club soda to the shaker and pour it back and forth between the empty halves until it collects all the residual cream and egg white. Once you’ve done that, you can top your Collins glass off with the club soda concoction, and voila: you have a Ramos Gin Fizz.
This particular drink is famous for how labor intensive it is, so I’m sure you can use it to shake away your problems or anxiety about the semester. Plus it’s delicious! If you liked this drink, then stay tuned, because we’re going to make it through this (hopefully) last online semester of college, one alcoholic drink at a time.
