The Fitzgerald

The Fitzgerald is a modern classic combining gin, simple syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a few dashes of Angostura bitters. 

Essentially a Gin Sour, this simple cocktail was created by bartending legend Dale DeGroff while at New York City’s Rainbow Room in the 1990s. 

At the time, DeGroff gained fame for helping to uncover forgotten cocktail formulas and bringing back revived classics for a new generation of drinkers. The Fitzgerald, originally called Gin Thing on the bar’s cocktail menu, looks to be an ode to those pre-Prohibition classics with few ingredients and gin as its star spirit. The drink, in fact, came together in a less strategic way.

“I came up with this one on the fly one busy night at the Rainbow Room Promenade Bar when a customer who was bored with his regular summer libation (Gin and Tonic) asked me for a new gin drink for summer,” says DeGroff in his 2002 book, The Craft of the Cocktail. “The drink has appeared on craft bar menus around the world thanks to the internet.”

What makes the Fitzgerald work

The Fitzgerald closely resembles a Gin Gimlet, arguably the most well-known gin drink in the sour family of drinks. 

The defining characteristic of a sour cocktail is the delicate balance between tart citrus and a sweet element. This recipe calls for equal parts lemon juice and simple syrup and a fairly modest amount of gin in comparison, making this cocktail an excellent candidate for an overproof or Navy-strength London dry gin that is especially juniper forward.

A higher-strength gin would also benefit this drink because it's served on the rocks. The overproof spirit can punch through the slight dilution from the ice.

A generous amount of Angostura bitters sets this drink apart, adding to the aromatics of the cocktail while showcasing the botanicals in the gin.