Recipe: Founder’s Fizz

Happy Fourth of July!  Today we celebrate American Independence, which, as a recent article in the Atlantic noted, a European visitor once described as “almost the only holy-day kept in America.”  As the same article noted, drinking has long been practiced in observation of the day.  In that spirit, I bring you this short post to offer you a recipe for the Founder’s Fizz – a refreshing drink perfect for a hot summer day, conceived by Michael Anthony, the bar manager at the Richard Rodgers theatre, the Broadway home of Hamilton:

Like many classic and enduring drink recipes, this recipe is very simple, consisting of gin, simple syrup and lime juice, topped off with seltzer.  Pour that over a glass full of crushed ice and you’ve got a drink that will help keep you cool as you wait for the sun to set and the fireworks to commence.

Now, to be clear, the Founder’s Fizz is a modern creation.  But here’s a bit of history to put you in a July-4th-type of drinking mood.  On July 6, 1803, the Washington Federalist recounted the Independence Day festivities in the District that year.  On that day, “the Artillery and Grenadiers under their Captains, Edgar and Benjamin Patterson, with several respectable citizens, retired to the Federal spring on Rock Creek.”  Following an “elegant dinner,” several “toasts were drank, under discharge of cannon and musketry.”  As one does (don’t tell me you forgot to order the cannons and muskets for your Fourth of July party?).  And here were the toasts:

1. The DAY! – May its glory be recognised throughout the United States to the latest generation.  Three guns and three cheers – Music by the Band, Hail Columbia.
2. The Constitution – Stick to your mush!¹ – Three guns and nine cheers – Washington’s March.
3. The president of the United States – Three guns and nine cheers – Music, Jefferson’s March.
4. An everlasting Union to the American states and sore disappointment to the movers of sedition – One gun and three cheers.
5. Religion the foundation of all good.
6. The memory of our deceased friend & chief, General George Washington – One Gun, Solemn pause and doleful dirge by the Band.
7. The memory of those who fell in the defence of this country, may the hour of danger find every American ready to imitate their noble example – Three guns and doleful dirge by the band
8. Neutrality – Don’t tread on me and I’ll not bite you – Three Guns – Yankey Doodle.
9. In peace, true harmony; in war, the intrepidity of ’76 – One gun, three cheers, and appropriate music
10. Manufactories now in the bud, may they blossom early throughout the United States – One gun – Three Cheers
11. Agriculture, commerce and the military, like the composition of the world; Animal, Vegetable and Mineral, one cannot exist without the other – Three guns, nine cheers and appropriate music.
12. A well trained and well armed militia, the terror of tyrants and impregnable rock of Republics – One gun and music, a military march.
13. the officers of our army and navy, may they continue to add glory to their country, and honor to themselves – One gun, Music, President’s March.
14. The fair daughters of America – who can do without them? – Three guns and eighteen cheers – Music ‘Oh come hug me sweetly’
15. May we all cordially partake and earnestly unite in the well wishes of our country – Three guns and nine cheers.
16. The ‘Guinea Itch’² to the bystanders when our country is invaded – One gun and three cheers – Music, Stony Point.
17. Our Western Brethren and free navigation of the Mississippi – Three guns and nine cheers.
18. The District of Columbia and navigation of the Potomack. – Six Guns and Nine cheers.

There you have it.  These probably aren’t all fit for contemporary toasting – e.g., I wouldn’t toast to the “fair daughters of America” and then sing that they ought to “come hug me sweetly” – but there is plenty to work with or, at least, to inspire your own toasts to the day.  And so that you may have a Founder’s Fizz at hand when you’re ready for your brilliant pronouncements to be greeted with cannon, musketry, and patriotic song, here is the recipe:

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Founder's Fizz

A perfect cocktail for a hot Fourth of July, the Founder's Fizz was inspired by the musical Hamilton and is made with gin, simple syrup, fresh lime juice and seltzer.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Sour

Keyword Founder's Fizz recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Calories 184kcal

Author Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. gin I used Bluecoat
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• seltzer
• lime wheels

Instructions

• Combine the gin, syrup, and lime juice in a shaking tin with ice and shake vigorously.
• Strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice.
• Top off with selzter and garnish with lime wheels.

Enjoy – and happy Fourth of July!

And if you’re looking for the straws depicted in the photo above, they are available from Amazon here (advertisement).

Notes:

1. Yes, this blog footnotes, as of now. The meaning of “stick to your mush” is unclear. It might have been short for “stick to your mush and milk,” as contrasted with heavier foods like “ham and mutton.” See Notes from Ninety-Six, Abbeville Press and Banner, May 25, 1887, at 5 (contrasting these two pairings and advising that eating too much ham and mutton at dinner will lead one to have nightmares and see ghosts). But how that fits in an exhortation to revere the Constitution I leave to the reader.
2. The “guinea itch” appears to have been a generic name for diseases of tropical African origin. See Paul Edward Hedley Hair, Africa Encountered: European Contacts and Evidence, 1400-1700, at 191 (Variorum 1997). Your mileage may vary, but I won’t be mentioning the Guinea Itch in this year’s Fourth of July toasts.