foams , as used in cocktails, are complex airy structures composed mostly of gas and liquid: bubbles valiantly holding their own against gravity and time. Foams provide textural variety, soften the bite of rough spirits, and may add additional taste and aroma to drinks. They may be coarse or fine, flowing or set, delicate or quite thick. Wine, beer, fruit and vegetable juices, diluted liqueurs and spirits, and other liquids may be turned into cocktail foams through manual shaking and whisking or with tools including stand mixers, immersion blenders, espresso machine steam wands, and pressurized whipping siphons, all of which incorporate air or gas into liquids. Some culinary foams are evanescent structures that cling to existence for mere minutes, while heat-set foams, such as marshmallows or meringue, may endure for months. That stability depends upon the methods and ingredients used to create them. Bartenders traditionally have used eggs, dairy, and sometimes pineapple juice to create a top layer of fine foam upon drinks. See eggs. Fresh egg whites, despite an aroma occasionally likened to wet dog, are a venerable favorite for creating supple foam atop classic shaken drinks as the Pisco Sour and Ramos Fizz, while an Irish Coffee is incomplete without its blanket of whipped cream. See whisky, Irish; Pisco Sour; and Ramos Gin Fizz. Drinkers with a modernist bent deploy a wider range of foaming agents that fall broadly into six categories: fats, gelling agents, proteins, starches, surfactants, and solids, some of which are acceptable for drinkers with restricted diets. Aquafaba, the residuum of chickpea cooking water, for instance, is suitable for vegans. Like egg whites, however, it can release a strong and, to some, disagreeable odor. Other foaming agents include agar, gelatin, gum arabic, xanthan gum, pectins, sodium alginate, maltodextrin, methylcellulose, and powdered soy lecithin. See agar; gelatin; and gum syrup. Commercial cocktail foaming agents include Fee Foam, Versawhip, Foam Magic, Wonderfoam, and Instafoam (with Quillaja, or soap bark, extract).
See also dairy; dry shake; nitrogen, liquid; and texture and mouthfeel.
Arnold, D. Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail. New York: W. W. Norton, 2014.
Jaworska, M. “Science Your Way to a Texturally Complex Cocktail.” Punch, June 27, 2017. https://punchdrink.com/articles/science-your-way-to-texturally-complex-cocktail-aquafaba-soy-lecithin-drink-recipe/ (accessed March 19, 2021).
Myhrvold, N., C. Young, and M. Bilet. Modernist Cuisine, vol 4, Ingredients and Preparations. Bellevue, WA: Cooking Lab, 2011.
By: Matthew Rowley