If you’ve been in a cocktail bar in the last decade, you have seen a cocktail made with egg whites. As a bartender, I often get the same reactions from people, ranging from “is that safe?” or “does it taste good?” Both being very curious statements since as a bartender, you wouldn’t want to serve a product that doesn’t taste good or would hurt your patron, both being bad for business.
Since we are not looking to hurt our guest’s palates or their health, why are we using egg whites as if they were going out of style?
Prior to the invention concentrated Sweet and Sour mixes, that unfortunately most bars carry, which contain a foaming agent, Bartenders actually had to find a way to create that foamy head.
The beauty of using egg whites is that they impart very little taste and they create a velvety texture and a visually striking foam head, which helps keep the aromatics in the cocktail. To get an idea of the difference in the cocktails without and with egg whites, just think about drinking Bud Light and then drinking Guinness. One is very crisp, and the other hand is silky smooth and lingering.
Now for a note on the health aspect of the use of raw egg whites in cocktails, most cocktails that call for its use will have a high portion of citrus juice and alcohol. Both will kill any parasites. Just to make sure, the citrus juice is added to the mixing tin initially with only the egg white. Then the bartender will do what is called a Dry Shake, or a shake without the ice. The citric acid in the lemons and limes emulsifies, or cooks the egg white creating a white frothy base for the cocktail.
The use of Egg Whites is integral in a number of the great classic cocktail recipes throughout Cocktail-dom, such as most sours, silver fizzes and flips. You can even find it in the first cocktail book, How to mix Drinks or the Bon –Vivant’s Companion written by Jerry Thomas in 1862.
So its time you set down your vodka – sodas and make your way down to Roman Holiday and try craft cocktails made with egg whites and other fresh ingredients and you might never go back to your old usual cocktail.
Roman Holiday Wine Lounge is located at the Shops at the Patios (next to Macy’s), 24201 West Valencia Boulevard, Suite 3860 in Santa Clarita. For more information, please call 661-799-7221, email: chris@rhwinelounge.com and visit our website at www.rhwinelounge.com.