Brandy Fizz – Classic Recipe & History

April 11, 2021

Brandy Fizz

5 from 1 vote

Course: DrinksCuisine: American

Servings

servings

Calories

229

kcal

ABV

13%

Total time

minutes

Learn how to make the classic Brandy Fizz cocktail.

Ingredients

US Metric

1 oz 30 ml Egg Whites
2/3 oz 20 ml Lemon Juice
2/3 oz 20 ml Simple Syrup
2 oz 60 ml Brandy
1.5 oz 45 ml Soda Water

Directions

Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
Combine all ingredients except for the soda water in a cocktail shaker.
Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake till the ice has fully melted.
Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a collins glass.
Slowly pour the soda water in, and the bubbles from the water will expand all bubbles in the drink to form a large foam head.

Notes

Tools Used: Cocktail Shaker, Jigger, Strainer
Serving Glass: Highball Glass or Champagne Flute

The History Of Fizzes.

Fizz cocktails first appear in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas’s Bartenders Guide and appear to be an evolution of the classic sour with egg whites/egg sour cocktail. The basic Fizz structure is very consistent. Egg whites, citrus, sugar, spirit, and soda water. This here is a basic Brandy Fizz cocktail, and while it was not listed in Jerry Thomas’s book, it’s clear that the framework can be used for any base spirit.

What Does the Brandy Fizz Taste Like?

The meringue foam is absolutely delicious in this cocktail and adds a sweet lightness that makes this more of a dessert than a standard cocktail. Imagine drinking a sweet liquid brandy mousse and at 12% ABV it still packs a punch.

How To Get Great Foam On Cocktails With Egg Whites.

Egg Whites are challenging to get right in cocktails. Everyone struggles with them at some point, and bartenders search for any way to make whipping them into a fluffy meringue easier. Henry Ramos hired “shaker boys” to shake for him. Some use the dry shake or reverse dry shake, others swear by only using one large ice cube, and some say you have to shake till your arms fall off. The method I like is called the Saxe Shake, and De Forest Saxe invented it in the 1880s.

The Saxe Shake is largely unknown in the cocktail world because De Forest Saxe was a soda fountain operator in Chicago, Illinois. His 1890 book “Saxe’s New Guide Hints to Soda Water Dispensers” details his shaking technique for egg drinks that produces the best foam and can be accomplished with minimal effort. Saxe states to shake drinks with eggs with only one chestnut-sized ice cube. An Ice cube from a standard ice tray is about chestnut-sized, so one or two small cubes will work. Then shake until the ice fully melts, and pour into the serving glass without straining. The small amount of ice is just enough to cool and dilute the drink, and since there are no remaining bits of ice left in the shaker, there is nothing to strain. Passing the mixture through a strainer destroys most of the bubbles you worked so hard to make. As you add soda water, the escaping carbon dioxide fills the tiny bubbles in the drink, forcing them to expand and form a large fluffy foam. Give it a try. Using the Saxe Shake, I have turned out Ramos Gin Fizzes as fast and efficiently as any other shaken cocktail with excellent results.