John Shelton Reed & the Ramos Gin Fizz

The Garden District Book Shop is thrilled to announce that author John Shelton Reed will be at the shop on September 29 to celebrate the release of his latest book, The Ramos Gin Fizz. 

Reed’s book offers a history of the drink and a biography of its inventor, starting with the early years in which the Ramos Gin Fizz became nationally famous as a New Orleans icon. Although Prohibition almost put an end to it in New Orleans, it survived elsewhere—for instance, at the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo—and after Prohibition’s repeal, the drink quickly recovered and was once again a New Orleans favorite. In the 1940s and ’50s, it became known as a sophisticated and glamorous drink, popular with celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Tennessee Williams.

The Ramos Gin Fizz attempts to reconstruct Ramos’s original recipe using modern ingredients and addresses the question of how and how much to shake the drink, a subject on which there is surprisingly much to be said. Offering recipes for the original drink, a modern version, and many imaginative riffs, this eminently readable book is a must-have for any cocktail lover’s library. 

The evening will begin at 6:00 PM and Reed will regale guests with insights into the colored history of the Ramos Gin Fizz. Afterwards, he will be available to mingle with guests and personalize copies of his book. The book shop’s bar, Bar Epilogue, will be open and slinging a twist on the Ramos Gin Fizz during the event as well. The event is free and open to the public but interested parties are encouraged to RSVP and reserve their copy of The Ramos Gin Fizz ahead of time on Eventbrite. 

The Garden District Book Shop 

The Garden District Book Shop (GDBS) is one of the most prominent independent bookstores in the Gulf South, having played a supporting role in the literary careers of authors from Anne Rice to James Lee Burke under founder Britton Trice. Current owners, Barkley Rafferty and Carroll Gelderman are dedicated to ensuring that GDBS will be enjoyed by locals and visitors for years to come and have hosted authors such as Walter Isaacson, Laura Dern & Diane Ladd, the Bush twins, Steve Gleason, and Octavia Spencer since they purchased the shop in 2021. They also own the bookshop's neighboring restaurant, The Chicory House, and opened a full cocktail bar within the bookshop in the summer of 2024. For more information on GDBS, please visit us at www.gardendistrictbookshop.com. Connect and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

John Shelton Reed

John Shelton Reed is a writer and former college professor who lives in Chatham County, North Carolina. He has written a score of books, innumerable articles, and a few country songs, mostly about the South one way or another.