eggs have been used raw in alcoholic beverages at least as far back as the thirteenth century. They are used not for flavor, of which they have very little, but rather to provide a velvety texture and a measured degree of viscosity in a drink, and to increase its nutritional value (this is much less of a concern today than it was in the past). The whites also provide an attractive white foam on the top of the drink. In general, eggs are most often included as ingredients in sours, fizzes, flips, and Eggnogs. See sour; fizz; and Eggnog.
In late nineteenth century England, one could find either a white or a whole egg in a nonalcoholic recipe for “Egg Tea.” In this instance the egg was used as a substitute for milk in standard tea service. Aside from providing an ethereal texture, an added benefit is that the polyphenols (tannins) from the tea leaves would bind with the proteins in the egg white before they could affect salivary proteins and thus prevent palate fatigue. Tea is traditionally served with milk for this reason, and this same binding action on particulates has historically been utilized to clarify wine, beer, and mead. This is a useful understanding when constructing tea-based cocktails.
The use of real eggs fell out of favor in the mid-twentieth century, when cocktail “foamers” became popular. These synthetic foamers provided bartenders with a quick and easy replacement of the egg via ready-to-use product yet ultimately proved to be a poor substitute. Some of these foamers tasted soapy or chemical, lessening the overall quality of whatever drink they were inflicted on. Gradually, the very idea of any sort of foam (whether natural or artificial) fell out of favor. See foams. But the twenty-first-century craft cocktail renaissance has rediscovered the merits of egg-based drinks, whisking the egg back into the cocktail shaker and restoring its esteemed position in both drinks as well as history. See cocktail renaissance.
A recipe for a classic sour doesn’t traditionally include an egg white, but it can be added as an option; it is, however, an essential component of the classic Pisco Sour. See Pisco Sour. A Silver Fizz is another sour-based drink that adds an egg white and is topped with soda water. See Silver Fizz. A Golden Fizz follows the same recipe as a Silver Fizz but instead uses an egg yolk in lieu of the white. A Royal Fizz uses both white and yolk. Flips traditionally use an entire egg, along with a spirit, sugar, and optional ale, and the entire drink is poured back and forth between two vessels to provide aeration to the egg, resulting in foam. Eggnogs also utilize an entire egg in addition to milk, cream, or both.
Raw egg whites foam faster and better than pasteurized or instant whites, whose proteins have been altered by heat. When shaking a cocktail that includes an egg white, the same basic principle causes the egg white to produce a foam in the drink yet is not quite as robust as if the white was whipped by itself. Part of this is because the protein unfolding is hampered by the other liquids in the drink, and also because of the coldness that the ice provides. This is why many bartenders initiate their drinks with what is known as the “dry shake.” See dry shake.
While a drink containing an egg is a wonderful experience on the palate, it should be enjoyed in a timely manner. If left sitting too long in a glass, it begins to warm up and releases unpleasant sulfuric compounds reminiscent of the smell of a wet dog. It is thought that the use of aromatic bitters atop a Pisco Sour in the warm South American climate was adopted for this reason.
These days, many bartenders are taking this to another level and decorating the foam with fanciful designs produced by swirling a toothpick or straw through the bitters. Some bartenders are going the extra mile and placing a special stencil over the drink and spraying bitters through it with an atomizer to leave the design on top of the foam, a practice pioneered in the 1890s by William Schmidt. See
The major concern in using raw eggs is the possible danger of salmonella poisoning. To provide the best insurance against salmonella, eggs should be kept refrigerated at all times in temperatures of 4° C (40 F) or lower and should be as fresh as possible.
Campbell, Dawn L. The Tea Book. Gretna, LA: Pelican, 1995.
McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking. New York: Scribner, 2004.
Schmidt, William. The Flowing Bowl. New York: Webster, 1892.
By: Audrey Saunders