Break out the Collins glasses and embrace this new spin on an old New Orleans favorite.
Cities around the world celebrate Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) on Feb. 9. You can join in the fun with this sweet and creamy cherry gin fizz, compliments of NOLA mixologist Kirk Estopinal.
It's a sassy take on both an ice cream soda and the Big Easy's famous Ramos gin fizz.
This recipe takes awhile to make but once you get the hang of it, it's not too tricky. The original recipe is included below, noting our few substitutions and omissions.
After all, it's Mardi Gras, so absolutely anything goes.
Ingredients
1.5 oz gin
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lime (We like orange juice, too.)
1.25 oz cream
1/2 oz *black cherry "grenadine"
2 drops orange flower water (omitted in the above video)
1/4 oz simple syrup
1 egg white (We used pasteurized.)
Coca-Cola
1 maraschino cherry on a skewer
Ice
1. Combine egg white and citrus in a mixing tin and shake briefly without ice.
2. Add the "grenadine," gin, and ice and shake briskly for 8 seconds.
3. Double strain into a Collins glass.
4. Add three ounces of Coca-Cola to the Collins glass containing the shaken mixture and briefly stir.
5. In the same tin add your cream and simple syrup and shake until cream is set.
6. Spoon into the top of the drink stirring the foam and cream mixture on top together to make the "ice cream."
7. Add straws and garnish with skewered maraschino cherry.
*Cherry grenadine
16 oz black cherry juice
Peel of one lemon and one orange each orange
1. Put the juice and citrus peels in a pot over medium heat and boil slowly until the mixture has reduced by half.
2. Add the sugar, stir to dissolve and cool before using.
BONUS: Cheers to Mardi Gras with this silky Sazerac shot
[video id=8wbXRsMDE6ltc9B21oiqiUYJosS8y2rv]