Ask the Expert

Our gin expert, David T. Smith, is on hand to answer all your juniper-related questions. Tweet us @ginmagazineuk or email editor@paragraph.co.uk for a chance to feature

What is a Ramos Gin Fizz and why is it so hard to make? Do you really have to shake it for five minutes? FLORO, RIVERSIDE, CA

Ah, the Ramos Gin Fizz, aka the New Orleans Fizz, the bartender’s nightmare? Perhaps not. The key to this cocktail is the froth on the top once you’ve added the soda water, which should be thick enough that a straw can stand up in the middle of the glass by itself. This froth is created by the combination of egg and cream; when you shake the cocktail, you are not only chilling and diluting the drink, but also causing aeration.

The most foolproof method I have found for putting together this cocktail came from my good friend, and occasional Gin Magazine contributor, Keli Rivers: it’s called the ‘reverse dry shake’.

Add 45ml gin, 15ml lime juice, 15ml lemon juice, 60ml thick cream, 45ml sugar syrup (2:1 mix of sugar to water) and 2-3 drops orange flower water (this really is essential and there is no substitute) to a cocktail shaker with a medium-sized ice cube (roughly 2cm x 2cm x 2cm). Shake until the ice cube has completely melted; you’ll know when this is, because it will have stopped rattling about. Add one egg white to your shaker and shake vigorously again. Strain into a tall glass (without ice or garnish) and top up with soda water, ideally from a soda siphon, but sparkling water works, too.

I’m not a fan of fizzy mixers. Can you recommend any good gin drinks with fruit juice? TERRY, WARRING

The go-to is, of course, Mr Snoop Dogg’s ‘Gin & Juice’. I’ve tried this one on a few occasions, but was never very impressed until I discovered the secret (and it may seem obvious): freshly squeezed juice.

Juice from a carton is good for many drinks, but for Gin & Juice, it just doesn’t work; the resulting drink is too acidic and lacks harmony. My suggestion for a combination of gin and orange juice would be to squeeze one or two oranges and collect the juice in a small jug or beaker. If you don’t like bits, then use a tea strainer to remove any pulp. I find keeping oranges at room temperature makes them easier to squeeze, and you can refrigerate the juice for 20-30 minutes or add plenty of ice. I would use a ratio of one part gin to two parts juice.

Some people like to simply put all of the ingredients in a glass with ice (a technique known as a ‘build’) before stirring with a stirrer or straw, whilst others prefer to shake the ingredients over ice and strain into a tall, ice-filled glass. The resulting drink has a bright succulence with lots of citrus and floral notes and a touch of jamminess, whilst the gin adds complexity and backbone.

Gin also works well with white (or, even better, pink or ruby) grapefruit juice; with a salted rim, this is rather like a Salty Dog cocktail.

How many olives in a Martini? CASEY, BRAMPTON

A splendid question and one that I have a (probably misplaced) strong opinion on. Before I divulge it, I want to emphasise that this is a personal preference – it’s your drink, after all – but just be careful of any stones!

Many drinkers, including myself, are of the view that a Martini should have an odd number of olives, so either one or three (five is a bit excessive!).

I’ve found that the attraction of odd numbers applies to other garnishes, too, such as the coffee beans on an Espresso Martini or in a glass of sambuca. Since antiquity, odd numbers have been considered lucky – the poet Virgil stated that, “Uneven numbers are the gods’ delight.” Similar superstitions are found around the world.

Beyond the supernatural, however, some believe that an odd number of objects is actually more pleasing to the eye. I’ve found that that’s certainly the case for me when it comes to drinking a Martini: the single olive has a minimalist charm, but two looks like you might have started out with three and someone has eaten one of them!