Drink for a King

Swine Palace will kick off its run of the classic, cautionary tale All the King’s Men next Wednesday, April 17 at LSU’s Reilly Theatre. The play, and the book its based on, are said to be loosely based on the life of former Louisiana Gov. Huey P. Long, a.k.a. The Kingfish. Check out Jeff Roedel’s article on the production here.

To celebrate the new play, 225 wanted to share a recipe for one of Long’s favorite drinks—the Ramos Gin Fizz. There are numerous legends about Long and his gin fizzes, such as the one that says Long took a New Orleans bartender with him to New York to teach northerners how to make the drink.

The fizz contains gin with a mixture of orange, lemon and lime flavors and an egg white. It’s not that it’s a difficult drink to make, but making it perfect requires time and a few key ingredients.

Ingredients
2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
1-3 dashes of orange flower water or orange blossom water
2 drops vanilla extract
1 ounce cream
1 egg white
soda water

Recipe
Combine and shake all ingredients except soda water without ice vigorously for 30 seconds or more—the longer the better. Add ice and shake an additional 30 seconds or more, until extremely cold and frothy. Strain into a large, old-fashioned glass and top with soda water. Stir gently.