Join Al Zambone and guest John Shelton Reed (author of The Ramos Gin Fizz, for the LSU Press series on iconic New Orleans cocktails) for a deep dive into the history, culture, and legend of the Ramos Gin Fizz—a cocktail that’s as much a symbol of New Orleans as it is a drink. From its 19th-century origins and the city’s cosmopolitan mix, to Prohibition, Huey Long, and the modern cocktail renaissance, this episode explores how a single drink can carry the weight of place and time.

00:00 — Podcast intro
00:23 — Welcome and guest introduction
02:35 — The Ramos Gin Fizz: A New Orleans Legend (episode setup)
02:35 — Origins and pronunciation of “Ramos”
05:56 — Carl Ramos’s biography and 19th-century mobility
05:56 — New Orleans in the late 19th century
05:56 — Cosmopolitan city, Caribbean and European connections
08:56 — Cultural divisions in New Orleans
10:55 — German immigration and Civil War era
11:06 — Rise of celebrity bartenders and cocktail culture
13:18 — New Orleans’ iconic cocktails
16:22 — The Ramos Gin Fizz recipe and its components
17:45 — Al’s first attempt at the drink
19:30 — The “shaker boys” and the three-minute shake
21:00 — Flavor profile and chemistry
29:29 — Fame, Prohibition, and Huey Long
38:23 — Southern soft drinks and temperance
44:48 — Where to find the perfect Ramos Gin Fizz today
46:46 — Closing thoughts and thanks

For Further Investigation

John Shelton Reed, Dixie Bohemia: A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s
"How the South Cornered the Soda Market"
The Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel
Revel Cafe and Bar– where Chris McMillian spells it "Ramos Gin Phizz", which just makes everything a little more confusing than it already was

239. SURPRISE EPISODE | Reintroducing Your Host