Eggs. Scrambled, fried, poached or dyed, the incredible edible egg can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways, including in your next cocktail. For years, centuries even, eggs have found their way into local watering holes, and now they’re becoming the new must-have ingredient in the craft cocktail scene. That’s thanks to the way one single egg can change the texture of a drink.
“An egg can give a cocktail a wonderful silkiness,” says Dylan Fox, general manager and beverage coordinator at Barley, Wheat & Rye Social House in Springfield, Missouri. While the rich flavor of that golden egg yolk can be harder to mask, a spritz of some citrus blends everything together, and the beauty of the egg as Fox has found, is it pairs easily with nearly every spirit be it beer, whiskey, wine, rum or gin. Still not convinced? Here are five egg-based cocktails that will change your mind.
P.O.T.U.S.
Smooth and slightly frothy, the P.O.T.U.S. cocktail is an easy sipper thanks to the mix of bright citrus flavors and the rich small batch bourbon. To balance out the drink, vanilla simple syrup and a dash of madeira give this cocktail a subtle sweetness.
Ingredients
1 egg white
1½ oz H&H Rainwater Madeira
½ oz Jefferson Small Batch Bourbon
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz orange juice
? oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
½ oz vanilla simple syrup
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker, and dry shake; add ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with four drops of Bittercube Blackstrap and a light dusting of grated nutmeg.
S’More Gin
If you’re a fan of s’mores, then this drink will be a real palate-pleaser thanks to the bruleed crown of egg white. Add in a spritz of lime juice to brighten the gin and Grand Marnier, and this cocktail becomes a boozy dessert.
Ingredients
1 egg white
2 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Grand Marnier
½ oz Grenadine
¾ oz lime juice
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker, and dry shake; add ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass, and top with soda water and a sprinkle of sugar. Use a hand torch to brûlée the top of the foam.
Rogue Sour
Perfectly sweet and tart with just enough boozy punch, this cocktail is delicious any time of year. The final touch is a dash of orange bitters, which gives this drink one last layer of flavor.
Ingredients
1 egg white
2 oz Barrel Strength Dark Horse Rye
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz vanilla simple syrup
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker; strain into a coupe glass, and top with a float of Gueuze beer and a garnish of four dashes of orange bitters and one Luxardo cherry.
Social House Breakfast
This is one of those after-dinner cocktails that could easily replace that lackluster cup of coffee. A mixture of rye, simple syrup, citrus and 2 ounces of coffee, the Social House Breakfast turns out plenty creamy, with a rich dose of coffee flavor.
Ingredients
1 egg white
1½ oz Rittenhouse Rye
½ oz vanilla simple syrup
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz orange juice
2 oz coffee
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and dry Shake. Add ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass, and top with a float of coffee, four drops of Coffee Pecan Bitters, and garnish with a few roasted coffee beans.
Slap and Tickle
The best way to describe this tincture is effervescent and refreshing. A base of gin and grapefruit juice is mixed with egg white and Mathilde Peche to create a light and fruity base that’s topped with Champagne and peach bitters.
Ingredients
1 egg white
1 oz J. Rieger Gin
1 oz Mathilde Peche
¾ oz grapefruit juice
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and dry shake. Add Ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass, and top with Champagne, three to four dashes Fee Bros. Peach Bitters, and garnish with a grapefruit peel.
Recipes courtesy of General Manager and Beverage Coordinator Dylan Fox at Barley, Wheat & Rye Social House (Springfield, Missouri)