For an ingredient that has been used in cocktails for
hundreds of years, eggs create such divisiveness whenever one is broken into a
cocktail shaker. But why? Flips have been around since the Colonial era and
while I don’t expect every layman to know what constitutes a ‘flip,’ the idea
of using eggs in drinks is certainly nothing new.
Even the Fizz, at one time the king of all morning
libations, has been doctored up with eggs in several iterations that might go
under various monikers: Silver (egg white), Golden (egg yolk), Royal (whole
egg) and Diamond (champagne in lieu of soda). All are delicious, the frothy
head offering a texture that is both unique and ambrosial.
And that’s before we get to the most celebrated Fizz of all
– the Ramos. How one of the most unlikely combinations of flavors ended up in
the same glass still baffles me. But the point is, this venerable drink –
created supposedly by Henry Ramos in New Orleans circa 1880s – just wouldn’t be
the same without its defining characteristic, its frothy texture, only achieved
by some often overly-excited shaking.
There’s almost not an occasion that I crack an egg white (or
heaven forbid, a whole egg) into a shaker that a customer in front of me stops
mid conversation, inquiring what I’m doing. Some are curious, others are
visibly disgusted. And most of their comments are typically not favorable ones
either. It’s like I just put dog food in someone’s drink. So, why the ongoing
fear?
Aren’t you afraid of salmonella, they’ll often ask? No, I’m
afraid of poisonous snakes, clowns and swimming in the open ocean, in that
order. Of course I have the luxury of someone who has worked with eggs for
twenty years, so I know the risks and I also know the preventative measures. I
also know how amazing eggs are in cocktails and how the texture they add cannot
be ignored. One of my responses to guests with such apprehensions often goes
something like this:
“Have you never tried eggnog?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Well what do you think eggnog is made from?” (Maybe they buy
that industrial crap in cartons posing as eggnog).
I wonder how many of these people that are apprehensive
about imbibing a drink with raw eggs also eat raw fish such as sushi or steak
tartare. Why don’t these foods carry the same scary baggage? I put it down to a
clear misunderstanding about the potential dangers of salmonella, which of
course must be taken seriously, but are nowhere near as life threatening as
people insinuate. Why aren’t there the same standards for a restaurant that
serves raw, potentially dangerous foods and a bar that uses eggs in cocktails?
Here’s a couple of things to think about. According to the
website www.incredibleegg.org, they say that American scientists estimate that
approximately 1 in every 20, 000 eggs will be contaminated with the bacteria
salmonella enteritidis, which also mean that the average human will encounter a
contaminated egg once every 84 years. And . . . that risk substantially
decreases if the eggs are stored and handled properly. If they are, the site goes
on to say, eggs pose no more health risks than any other perishable foods.
Like anything we push across our respective bars, we have a
responsibility to our guests to ensure that they are safe when they are at our
bar and when they leave. This if course includes the responsible service of
alcohol but also the proper storing of all food items, especially eggs. As long
as they’re fresh and stored in the fridge at all times, then you should never
have any issues.
When I see a bar that keeps their egg whites in a squeezie
bottle sitting on the bar at room temperature all night, however, then I am
most definitely not ordering a Pisco Sour from them. Who knows how old the
contents are and when was the last time that container was properly sanitized?
Cracking eggs to order takes more time (not much), but is much safer in my
opinion.
So what are the classic egg drinks? What are the drinks that
absolutely suffer when the egg is left out? Besides those already mentioned, I
do enjoy a Classic Whiskey Sour (although it should be said that these probably
don’t need egg in them; it’s just a personal preference). The Pisco Sour,
however, is a drink that must have egg white and in Peru, this is actually a
blended cocktail (not a shaken one like the rest of us make it), making a
strong case for this viriled apparatus.
Whatever drink it is, and whichever technique you use, every
drink containing eggs should have some sort of aroma added at the end. No egg
drink should ever be left without a final aromatic flourish, in my opinion, as
within a couple of minutes the drink will develop a very unappealing sulfurous
or ‘eggy’ aroma. Something simple like a grating of nutmeg or cinnamon, a lemon
twist broken over the surface, drops of bitters (such as on a Pisco Sour) or a
spray of absinthe or house made tincture can all work wonders.
RECIPES
These are my top 10 favorite egg drinks of all time
Coffee Cocktail
- 1.5 oz. port
- 1 oz. Cognac
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- 1 whole egg
- 1 dash Angostura –
optional
METHOD: Shake extremely hard & strain
GLASS: Footed Highball
GARNISH: Grated nutmeg
Spiced Cherry Flip
- 1 oz. bourbon
- ½ oz. maraschino
- 2 oz. cranberry ale OR framboise Lambic beer
- ½ oz. agave nectar
- 1 tsp. cherry butter
- 1 whole egg
METHOD: Dry shake ingredients
Add ice & shake very very hard
Strain into glass
GLASS: Footed Highball/Fizz
GARNISH: Grated nutmeg
Pisco Sour
- 2 oz. Pisco
- ¾ oz. lime juice
- ¾ oz. simple syrup
- 1 egg white
METHOD: Dry shake first
Add remaining ingredients & shake very hard. Strain
GLASS: Large Coupe
GARNISH: Angostura bitters drops on top
Royal Sloe Gin Fizz
- 2 oz. sloe gin
- ¾ oz. lemon juice
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- 1 whole egg
METHOD: Dry shake first
Add remaining ingredients with ice & shake very hard
Strain and top with soda
GLASS: Footed Highball/Fizz
GARNISH: Lemon twist (discard)
Ramos Gin Fizz
- 2 oz. Beefeater gin
- ½ oz. lemon juice
- ½ oz. lime juice
- 1 oz. heavy cream
- 1 ¼ oz. simple syrup
- 1 egg white
- 5 drops of orange flower water
- Soda water
METHOD: ‘Dry’ shake very hard
Add ice and shake again, very hard
Add soda water to shaker. Strain
GLASS: Footed Highball (no ice)
GARNISH: Lemon twist (discard)
Morning Glory Fizz
- 2 oz. Scotch whisky
- ¼ oz. Absinthe
- ¾ oz. lemon juice
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- 1 egg white
- Soda water
METHOD: Dry shake/Shake remainder very hard
Add soda to shaker and strain
GLASS: Footed Highball
GARNISH: Absinthe spray
The Rose
- 1.5 oz. gin
- ½ oz. Combier rose liqueur
- ½ oz. Aperol
- ¾ oz. hibiscus/rose syrup
- ¾ oz. lime juice
- 1 egg white
METHOD: Dry shake all ingredients
Add ice and shake very hard
Strain into glass
GLASS: Coupe
GARNISH: 3 dried rose buds/spray with rosewater
Chamomile
- 1 ¾ oz. Altos blanco (infused
with chamomile flowers)
- ¼ oz. yellow Chartreuse
- ¾ oz. lemon juice
- ½ oz. chamomile-infused honey
- 1 egg white
METHOD: Dry shake all ingredients
Add ice and shake very hard
Strain into glass over 1 ice cube
GLASS: Large Coupe
GARNISH: Chamomile ‘mist’ and 3 floating chamomile flowers
Chocolate Coffee Flip
METHOD: Shake very hard with ice
Strain into frozen glass (no ice)
GLASS: Footed Highball
GARNISH: Grated nutmeg
@forkandshaker
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