Ramos Gin Fizz at Roosevelt Hotel Part II

The whole week I was in New Orleans my mind never strayed far from Ramos Gin Fizzes.  While it was still winter back home in Portland (where people were enjoying drifts of perfume from winter-flowering Daphnes), spring had arrived in New Orleans.  And it saw no reason to let me forget.
 
As I wandered through the streets, mainly without any destination in mind, there was always plenty to look at: shotgun houses—some still needing repair—, iron scrollwork on balconies (were no two alike?), and cats sunning themselves on porches. 
 
Citrus trees were blooming all over town. Often they were hidden behind high walls.  But like the winter-flowering Daphne back in Portland, the citrus trees put out siren scents, their sweetness kept sneaking up on me.  How could I not crave another Ramos Gin Fizz?

One bumpy citrus shows itself

On our last day in town, we made a stop at the Roosevelt Hotel.  I’d tried two other Ramos Gin Fizzes during my wanderings; they just weren’t that good (one tasted uncomfortably close to an Orange Julius).  So even though it’s expensive ($13!), the Ramos Gin Fizz at the Sazerac Bar is the way to go.
 

Don’t touch my Ramos Gin Fizz!

I'm back in Portland now.   We made a Ramos Gin Fizz once—not bad, but we’ll have to work at it to get up to the Sazerac Bar’s standards. 
Happily, I keep being reminded.  The day before we left New Orleans, I visited Hové Parfumeur, where I sampled their orange flower perfume on my left wrist.  Today, more than two weeks later, I can still detect its lingering scent.  I’ve been marked for life by New Orleans and the Ramos Gin Fizz.

Ramos Gin Fizz Recipes

• Straight from the Roosevelt Hotel, the Ramos Gin Fizz.

• And another Ramos Gin Fizz recipe at Imbibe Magazine.

• Eric Asimov’s POUR column (July 16, 2008) about the two New Orleans cocktails (Sazeracs and…), with recipe.