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A fix is one of the oldest drink categories on record, a spirit shaken with lemon and a sweetener and served over ice, usually crushed. The Pink Fix follows that formula exactly, with grenadine standing in for the sugar or pineapple syrup the nineteenth century versions used.
What stands out is the acid. Two ounces of lemon juice against two ounces of gin is an enormous amount by modern standards, where three quarters of an ounce is typical for a sour. Three quarters of an ounce of grenadine is not nearly enough sugar to balance that, so this lands sharp and bracing rather than sweet. If you like a drink that makes you flinch slightly, it is built exactly right.
Glass: Old-fashioned glass | Strength: Medium | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 3 minutes
Bartenders tip: Taste before you commit, because two ounces of lemon is genuinely a lot and most people will want to pull it back to an ounce. Adding grenadine to compensate makes it sweet and sour at once rather than balanced, so adjust the lemon rather than the syrup. The recipe says to pour rather than strain, so the shaker ice goes in with it, which is right for a fix and keeps the dilution going. Garnish is left open in the original, and a lemon wheel is the obvious reading.
Steps
- Pour all ingredients into a shaker half-filled with ice.
- Shake vigorously.
- Pour into an old-fashioned glass, garnish with a lemon wheel, and serve.
