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recipe medium American

A whole ounce of bitters never tasted so good (Angostura Fizz)

Two cocktails built on a full ounce of Angostura bitters as the base spirit: the classic 1939 Angostura Fizz (also known as the Trinidad Fizz) from Charles H. Baker's The Gentleman's Companion, finished with cream, egg white, citrus, and soda; and a modern Bitters Buck variation swapping the dairy and soda for ginger beer.

smart_display Published 2026-05-22 download Extracted 2026-05-25

5m Prep

5m Total

1 Servings

cocktail bitters angostura fizz buck mocktail-adjacent classic-cocktail trinidad-fizz egg-white ginger-beer

Ingredients

Angostura Fizz

1 oz Angostura bitters
1 oz fresh lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
0.75 oz semi-rich simple syrup (1.5:1 sugar:water)
0.5 oz heavy cream
1 whole small egg white (or aquafaba for egg-free)
2 oz soda water (club soda or seltzer) (2-3 oz to top)
1 wedge pineapple wedge (for garnish) optional

Bitters Buck

1 oz Angostura bitters
0.75 oz semi-rich simple syrup (1.5:1 sugar:water)
0.75 oz fresh lemon juice (lime juice also works)
3 oz ginger beer (3-4 oz to top)
1 sprig mint sprig (slap to release aroma) optional

Steps

Angostura Fizz

1

Pour 1 oz of Angostura bitters into a shaking tin. Remove the bottle's stopper top to pour cleanly, then put it back on after — otherwise your next Manhattan will be a disaster.

Tip: Angostura bitters is 44.7% ABV (nearly 90 proof), so a full ounce contributes real alcohol despite the historical 'temperance' classification.

~1 min
2

Add 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 3/4 oz semi-rich simple syrup (1.5:1 sugar to water), and 1/2 oz heavy cream to the shaking tin.

~1 min
3

Add the egg white (separate it into the small cheater tin first if you like) and dry shake without ice for about 10 seconds to build foam.

Tip: For an egg-free version, substitute aquafaba or any egg-free foaming agent.

~1 min
4

Add ice and give it a short wet shake — just enough to chill, since soda will dilute the drink further.

~1 min
5

Double strain into a chilled small highball glass. Gently top with 2-3 oz of soda water (or seltzer), either poured directly on top or down the back of a bar spoon. This is a mild fizz — don't aim for the towering foam of a Ramos gin fizz.

Tip: Let the drink sit briefly and give the glass a small tap before topping; this helps the bubbles integrate without erupting.

~1 min
6

Garnish with a pineapple wedge and add a straw if desired. Serve immediately.

Tip: The pineapple bridges the drying, slightly berry-like fruitiness of the Angostura — Charles Baker insisted on pineapple for a reason.

Bitters Buck

1

In a shaking tin combine 1 oz Angostura bitters, 3/4 oz semi-rich simple syrup, and 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice (lime also works).

~1 min
2

Add ice and give the tin a short shake — no need to over-shake.

~1 min
3

Fill a chilled Collins glass with ice, then strain the cocktail in while simultaneously topping with 3-4 oz of ginger beer. Top off with extra ginger beer if needed to get all the cocktail in.

Tip: Good ginger beer choices: Bundaberg, Barritt's, Fever-Tree.

~1 min
4

Slap a sprig of mint to wake up the aromatics, drop it in as garnish, add a straw, and serve.

Tip: The ginger cuts through the medicinal edge of the bitters while the mint lifts the aroma.

Nutrition (per serving)

180

Calories

Protein

22g

Carbs

Fat

Cultural Context

The Angostura Fizz, originally called the Trinidad Fizz, traces to Charles H. Baker's 1939 The Gentleman's Companion, Volume Two (The Exotic Drinking Book), where it was listed under 'Temperance Delights' alongside other mocktails. Despite being classified as non-alcoholic, the drink uses a full ounce of Angostura bitters, which is 44.7% ABV (nearly 90 proof). Angostura bitters were treated as a medicinal stomach tonic, which let people drink them through Prohibition without a liquor license. The drink was largely forgotten until roughly 70 years later, when Rogue Cocktails (later rebranded as Beta Cocktails) revived a stripped-down version called the Angostura Sour, credited to Baker. The Bitters Buck is a further modernization in the buck style (base spirit + citrus + ginger beer).