Frothy and fabulous classic and modern drinks
Egg white cocktails are a pleasure to explore and fun to mix because they require a lot of shaking. From fizzes and sours to flips and nogs, eggs appear in several classic cocktails that have, in turn, inspired modern drink recipes. The egg white doesn't really change the flavor of a drink, but instead creates a wonderful foam and silky texture that makes each sip more enjoyable than the last.
The History of Drinks with Raw Egg
Raw egg drinks are nothing new. It’s a practice used by many cultures that goes back to the 13th century, when eggs were a nutritional supplement or milk substitute and the first eggnogs were mixed up. In the 19th century, eggs even made it into English teas. Eggs were also a common ingredient in the cocktails documented by “Professor” Jerry Thomas in 1862, How to Mix Drinks: The Bon Vivant’s Companion, the iconic printed bartending guide.
Fizzes, Flips, and Sours—When and How to Use Raw Egg in Cocktails
The majority of egg cocktails require separating the egg and using only the white (the yolks add an eggy flavor that isn’t always desirable). Unless you’re making two drinks at once, today’s average large egg may be too much for most cocktails. Small or medium eggs are often a better choice.
You’ll find that many recipes pair egg white with citrus and berries and that some are topped with soda. The fruit flavors and carbonation naturally enhance the experience. It’s also common that the egg white is an optional ingredient. For instance, while a classically-styled whiskey sour includes an egg white, modern drinkers regularly prefer to leave it out. You can also add an egg white to similar drinks, such as the amaretto sour or any fizz or flip recipe.
Why You Should Dry Shake Egg White Cocktails
The trick to creating the best foam on top of egg white cocktails is to dry shake (sometimes called a mime shake). It’s a bartending technique first documented in the 1950s, though it may have been used earlier. While it fell out of favor along with egg drinks during the mid-20th-century, the cocktail renaissance of the 2000s brought it back.
The primary purpose of dry shaking is to emulsify the egg white and aerate the proteins. While it produces a meringue-like texture, a shaken egg doesn’t get as foamy as it would when whipping egg whites for food. The drink’s other ingredients slow down that process, but the dry shake revives some of that froth.
Dry shaking adds one extra step to mixing a drink: Combine all the ingredients in a shaker without ice, shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, and then add ice and shake for another 30 seconds before straining the drink. Some bartenders also use the reverse dry shake: Shake all of the ingredients except the egg with ice for 25 seconds, remove the ice, add the egg white and shake again for 20 to 25 seconds (there’s no need to strain the drink).
Whichever approach you use, the additional benefit is that you avoid an overly diluted cocktail. Shaking as long as needed to emulsify the egg with a shaker full of ice also breaks down the ice and adds some water to the drink.
How to Safely Mix With Raw Egg
Drinking raw eggs does pose a slight risk of food poisoning from bacteria such as salmonella. Children under 5, adults 65 and older, and people who have a weakened immune system are more likely to get infected and become seriously ill from salmonella, according to the CDC, while other populations might find the small risk worth the reward. The USDA suggests using pasteurized eggs for all raw applications because the heat kills bacteria.
The process of pasteurization also changes the egg's proteins, so you won't get the same amount of foam. If you do choose to use raw unpasteurized eggs, be sure to use the freshest eggs possible and keep them refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
Add These Egg White Cocktails to Your Home Bartending Repertoire
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Gin Fizz
The fizz is a style of drink that helped transform the early American bar in the late 1800s and likely inspired the collins family of cocktails. Its formula includes a base spirit, citrus, sugar, sparkling water, and an optional egg white. While you can use brandy, rum, or whiskey as the base spirit, the gin fizz is a great introduction to this classic set of cocktails.
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New Orleans Fizz
The New Orleans fizz (or Ramos gin fizz) takes everything great about the gin fizz and elevates the drink with an exquisite flavor. The recipe uses both lemon and lime, adds cream, and is not complete without a touch of orange flower water. It's one of the thickest, richest drinks you can make and, if a straw stands up straight in the glass, you know it's perfect.
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Gin Sour
Sours are another style of drink that popularly features an egg white with syrup, lemon juice, and bitters. Again, you can choose whiskey or another spirit, though gin’s botanical background makes the gin sour magical. Try it with classic gin styles like Old Tom or genever.
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Pisco Sour
A traditional cocktail in Peru and Chile, the pisco sour is a taste sensation. The taste of the South American style of brandy pisco varies, so a pisco sour is a new experience each time. Key lime juice and aromatic bitters are vital to this classic recipe. Like with latte art, some bartenders swirl the bitters in the egg foam or create elaborate designs with a stencil and atomizer.
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Why You Should Drink Egg White Cocktails Quickly
Egg white cocktails are not to be left sitting on the table for a long time. If the drink gets too warm, you might notice an off-aroma sometimes likened to a wet dog. Some speculate that the pisco sour's bitters were intended to delay this effect in the hot climate.
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Clover Club Cocktail
By the early 1900s, creative bartenders were mixing up all sorts of fascinating cocktails. Many, including the Clover Club cocktail, were influenced by earlier drinks. In the case of this gorgeous cocktail, raspberry syrup (or grenadine) give a berry sweetness to the basic gin sour.
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Million Dollar Cocktail
The million dollar cocktail is an interesting twist between a sweet gin martini and sour drink. Gin is mixed with sweet vermouth, the citrus is replaced by pineapple juice, and sugar by grenadine in this pre-Prohibition recipe. As the name suggests, this is a luxurious drink, and shaking pineapple with egg white amplifies the foamy top.
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Chicago Fizz
Rum is a fantastic base for egg white cocktails, and it shares the limelight with a ruby port in the Chicago fizz. Simple to mix up with all the essential fizz ingredients, that dark rum and fortified wine foundation is a pure delight.
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Commodore Cocktail
The commodore cocktail is a touch sweeter than most classics because it uses three sweeteners and light rum. To maintain a balance of flavors, just a hint of grenadine and raspberry syrup impart a fruitiness that modern drinkers will find familiar from martini menus.
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Baltimore Bracer Cocktail
You will need just three ingredients to pull off a Baltimore bracer cocktail, though it doesn’t lack anything in flavor. This classic brandy cocktail recipe pours the spirit equally with anisette liqueur. The egg white is essential because it perfectly tames that bold anise flavor and marries the two liquors.
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Pink Lady
Gin and applejack team up to create a pretty pink cocktail with a fascinating froth. As you might expect, the pink lady was indeed a drink of choice among fashionable ladies in the mid-1900s. The charming color comes from grenadine, which is balanced by an equal dose of fresh lemon juice.
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Old Thyme Sour
The old thyme sour is the perfect drink to try when you're really up for a cocktail adventure. Filled with layers of flavor, the glass is flamed with thyme and Green Chartreuse, then filled with a mix of Irish whiskey, elderflower, egg white, lemon, and cinnamon-thyme syrup.
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Ginger Sour
Bringing modern ingredients into classic drinks can create spectacular libations, and that’s exactly what happens in the ginger sour. You’ll need ginger vodka, and a homemade infusion may be easier than finding it at the liquor store. This drink is sweetened with maple syrup, which fuses the lemon and ginger for a fun twist.
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Eucalyptus Martini
Not to be outdone, the eucalyptus martini is a compelling mix. The cool, refreshing taste of a homemade eucalyptus syrup is enhanced with a dry gin and fresh lemon juice. A bit unique, you’ll add just a few drops of egg white for a delicate foam.
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Citrus Fizz
Nonalcoholic egg drinks are not numerous, but they are no less enjoyable. The citrus fizz is among the best, and it uses a whole egg mixed with three citrus juices and grenadine. Soda finishes it off. If you'd like to make this drink alcoholic, you can add a shot of gin or light rum to the shaker.
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Whiskey Sour
While many people mix up whiskey sours without egg white these days, a bit of egg white will add a wonderful frothiness and silky mouthfeel to your whiskey sour. If you're already a fan of this drink, it's worth giving it a try with the optional egg white to see which version you prefer.
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