In honor of Easter, a holiday that (in its commercialized, secular sense) involves so many wonderful things — brunch, eggs, pastel colors, both real and chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and floral dresses — I wanted to find a light, brunch-y, drink that involved an egg, as many old-timey cocktails do. Behold, the Ramos Gin Fizz. This one comes from The Ideal Bartender, a 1917 book by Tom Bullock, bartender of the St. Louis Country Club. (My hometown, it seems, has always been a great place to drink.)
To be honest, I thought that I might make one of these, drink a few sips, and advise you to just get some champagne and O.J. and pour up some Mimosas. But guess what? It's actually delicious.
Tips for the lazy boozer:
• Orange water, sometimes called Orange Flower Water, sounds lovely. Eventually I'll invest in some from Sahadi's, but I didn't have it on hand, so I used a dash of Citrus Hella Bitter, which I bought for the Manhattan recipe.
• I used fresh, farmer's market eggs, because that's probably similar to what Tom used in 1917 at the club. (Same goes for the milk.)
• Oh and, in case you need it: Here's how you separate an egg white.
• A pony = a shot (1.5 ounces) (Note: if you Google, "How much is a pony?" you'll get prices for horses.)
• I used Citadelle gin. Old Tom is a special, slightly sweeter, variety of English gin that you can still find at big liquor stores.
• Since I don't have a cocktail shaker, I use Mason jars to shake cocktails, and then just strain with the lid to the side a little. Really shake this hard, or you're risking slimy egg whites that haven't dispersed.
If this is too much, make a Mimosa!