18 Cocktails That Use Egg Whites For A Frothy Upgrade
If you're relatively new to cocktail making, it may come as quite a surprise when you see a drink recipe calling for egg whites — why in the world would an alcoholic beverage require eggs, right? But just as beating egg whites for a recipe leaves you with peaks of frothy egg that help add airy lightness to cakes, meringues, and souffles, shaking an egg white in a cocktail leaves you with a nice head of smooth foam to top off your favorite drink.
Don't worry — adding this egg-white foam won't leave you with an eggy-tasting drink. Egg whites have almost no flavor, and most cocktails featuring egg whites include citrus or other aromatics that help mask any lingering taste. As long as you are aware that drinks featuring egg whites must be shaken (not stirred or blended), getting the shake right can take some practice. Make sure you're performing two separate shakes — the "dry shake" (without ice, but with the egg white) followed by the "wet shake" (adding ice to the shaker to cool the drink). Once you've mastered the shake, you'll be ready to try your hand at a wide range of frothy cocktails.
Frothy whiskey sour
For those who love a whiskey sour but have never made one before, you may be surprised to learn that the lovely froth on top is thanks to the egg whites in the cocktail. If you're ready to shake one up yourself, it's a good recipe to practice with because it's so simple. All you need is sugar and water (to make your simple syrup), an egg white, your favorite whiskey, and juice from half a lemon.
After adding all the ingredients to your shaker (minus the ice), shake the whiskey sour until the egg whites are nice and foamy. Add ice to the shaker and shake again to cool the cocktail down. When you pour the drink into your waiting glass, you'll be thrilled to find it topped with foam. Add the finishing touch with the garnishes of your choice before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of your (surprisingly minimal) labor.
The Clover Club
Who doesn't love a pretty pink cocktail? Even if you've never tried one before, it's hard not to want to take a sip of the foam-topped Clover Club cocktail, which basically looks like the drink equivalent of Valentine's Day. And once you try it, you'll add it to your list of go-to drinks, what with its sweet and tangy combination of gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and of course, egg white.
It's best to choose a dry gin when mixing this drink, or you can opt to use half gin and half dry vermouth. Also, don't worry about taking time to make a homemade raspberry simple syrup. For this recipe, you can cut corners and opt for a store-bought version without drastically affecting the drink's outcome. Just don't overlook the importance of adding fresh raspberries as a garnish. The sugary, sour bite of the fresh fruit really adds to the overall experience.
Spiced clementine sour
When you're looking for a citrusy and spicy cocktail to help warm you up on a cold winter night, the frothy spiced clementine sour is the perfect option. Unlike The Clover Club, which suggests a store-bought raspberry syrup, to get the most out of this drink, you'll need to make a homemade spiced syrup. Making the syrup eats up most of the prep and cook time (which takes 15 minutes total), but you can store the syrup for up to two weeks, making subsequent cocktails quicker to create.
This drink features whiskey, lemon juice, clementine juice, homemade spiced syrup, an egg white, and ice. Just keep in mind you'll also need quite a few spices to make the syrup, including cardamom pods, whole cloves, peppercorns, star anise, a cinnamon stick, clementine zest, and smashed ginger root. It seems like a lot (and to be fair, it is), but it's the combination of spices and citrus (along with the smooth addition of the egg white) that ultimately make this the perfect winter drink.
Rye fizz
For a delicious fall beverage, look to the hearty kick of your favorite rye whiskey. The simple rye fizz cocktail uses rye whiskey, angostura bitters, lemon juice, and maple syrup to provide a slightly sweet and acidic, alcohol-forward beverage that ends up going down smoothly thanks to the addition of the egg white. A little bit of soda water adds the expected fizz, while a cinnamon stick garnish ends up giving the drink that fall-friendly vibe that the spice inevitably imparts.
One thing to keep in mind is that even a small amount of egg yolk mixed in with the whites can prevent your drink from enjoying the perfect foam. Make sure you're separating your whites and yolks carefully to get the best, frothy result.
Pickle juice whiskey sour
Whiskey sours are a recurring theme here, as they almost always call for the inclusion of an egg white, but not all whiskey sours are alike. Take, for instance, a pickle juice whiskey sour. At first glance, a pickle-forward cocktail topped with egg white foam may not sound all that appealing, but before you assume this is an extra salty, briny beverage, think again. Sure, there's a little salinity to the drink, but it's actually made with a pickle juice syrup that features a brighter bread-and-butter pickle juice, not its salty cousin, dill pickle juice.
Aside from the (easy-to-make) pickle juice syrup, this whiskey sour calls for nothing more than bourbon, lemon juice, an egg white, and ice. Shake it up using the two-shake method, and pour it out, topping it with a mini pickle for garnish.
Pisco sour
A classic pisco sour is very similar to a whiskey sour, but instead of whiskey, it uses pisco, a type of brandy made in Chile and Peru. Like many alcohols originating in Latin or South American countries (think: tequila or mezcal), it pairs well with citrus, lending itself to its own version of the sour.
In this case, the classic pisco sour uses equal parts lemon and lime juice, angostura bitters, simple syrup, and egg white to help the whole thing go down smoothly. Just keep in mind that a single serving of this cocktail uses 2 ounces of pisco, so if you're used to drinks with just an ounce of alcohol, it might strike you as strong. Pair it with tropical fruit or citrus-marinated seafood to help take an edge off the drink as you sip.
Balsamic berry cocktail
You may not typically think of using vinegar in your favorite cocktails, but the saccharine and acidic flavor of balsamic vinegar actually positions itself well as a drink ingredient, especially when used in moderation. The recipe for a balsamic berry cocktail plays up the tartness of the balsamic vinegar with the addition of lime juice while catering to the sweetness in the vinegar with a spoonful of mixed berry jam.
You just use a few dashes of the vinegar itself (it's a strong ingredient — you don't need much to enjoy the added depth it offers to cocktails). Then, of course, when you shake up the egg white with the other ingredients, the emulsified egg helps smooth out the sharpness of the acids, blending them seamlessly with the sugars.
The Whaler
When egg whites are used as an ingredient in cocktail recipes, it's almost always with a base of whiskey or gin as the alcohol. Of course, the keyword is "almost." The Whaler is a tropical beverage featuring rum, lime juice, and mint ... which may make you think you're mixing up a mojito ... but with a few added twists. For one thing, it includes blackberry honey syrup — not something you typically see in a mojito.
After shaking the primary ingredients along with the egg white, the cocktail is topped off with dry sparkling wine and a touch of orange zest. The result is a vibrant, citrus-forward drink with added sweetness, thanks to the honey syrup. And, of course, it has that nice head of foam, thanks to the shaken egg whites.
Smoked Negroni sour
There's a point with some cocktail recipes where you may wonder if the creator has "jumped the shark," so to speak, and taken the recipe too far. That conclusion was up for debate when a TikTok user turned a classic negroni into a smoked rosemary negroni sour. There's no doubt that the smoking version (with a lovely head of egg white foam) certainly looks fancier than the standard negroni of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Still, some commenters questioned whether the added elements took the cocktail too far.
Really, there's only one way to know for sure: Try the recipe for yourself. In addition to smoking a sprig of rosemary under a glass before building the cocktail, you'll need to add rosemary syrup, lemon juice, orange juice, and an egg white to the classic recipe's ingredients. Test the concoction alongside the original and decide for yourself.
Pink Thunder
Food Network chef Michael Symon may be better known for smoking up some mean BBQ than for shaking up a serious cocktail, but as a flavor-focus professional, he's adept at both. In fact, his bourbon-based recipe for the frothy Pink Thunder is like the (very) adult version of a pink cherry lemonade — the perfect mix of sweet and tangy for all your summer get-togethers.
It doesn't hurt that it's easy to mix up, too. All you'll shake up in your cocktail shaker is store-bought pink lemonade, the bourbon of your choice, an egg white, and a little bit of cherry juice. After pouring the drink into a glass, you'll top it off with a splash of ginger beer (which adds a lovely effervescence) and toss a couple of cocktail cherries in the drink as your garnish.
Japanese fizz
The Japanese fizz is very similar to the rye fizz ... and for that matter, it's similar to the gin fizz and other fizzes, too. That said, there's one ingredient that really sets this egg white cocktail recipe apart from other fizzes: It includes port wine. In fact, all you need is rye whiskey, a tawny port, lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white to make this drink.
Shake these ingredients together (don't forget to do one full shake without ice, followed by a second shake with ice), pour the drink into a tall glass, relish for a moment in the beauty of the cocktail's egg white foam, then top off the drink with sparkling water to give it that nice fizz.
Cupid's Cloud
When you're looking for a slightly lower alcohol-by-volume (ABV) cocktail to serve up at a romantic dinner, Cupid's Cloud might be your best bet. Aside from its appropriately romantic name, it features a mix of Pineau des Charentes and Campari as the base of the drink. If you haven't heard of Pineau des Charentes, it's a mix of cognac and grape juice made in the same region as cognac itself.
The juice-brandy hybrid lowers the total ABV in the drink while offering a sweet flavor that's lightened further by the egg white foam. That said, the Campari and a dash of Angostura bitters ultimately help balance out any cloying nature in the drink, providing a cocktail that's well-balanced, pairing nicely with other romantic favorites like dark chocolate and steak.
Apple ginger whiskey sour
A standard whiskey sour is certainly potent enough to hit you in the gut and warm you up on the coldest of nights, but if you're looking to spice it up a little, you're in for a treat with this apple ginger whiskey sour. The combination of apple, ginger, and (of course) lemon juice all work together to deliver a decidedly seasonal flavor that's ideally enjoyed during the late fall and early winter months. Just keep in mind the recipe calls for juice extracted from fresh ginger root, so you'll need access to a juicer to get the most out of the recipe.
If you have a juicer on hand, make sure you juice the ginger and the tart apple first (Granny Smith is a good choice), then combine the juices with the lemon juice, egg white, simple syrup, and whiskey (this recipe specifically calls for bourbon) before double-shaking it all together.
Dirty Shirley fizz
When you're looking for a drink that offers the nostalgia of childhood but that comes in a decidedly adult-friendly format, it's time to shake up a Dirty Shirley fizz. This recipe is inspired by the classic Shirley Temple, using Sprite, grenadine, and maraschino cherries as its base, just like the kid-friendly beverage. Then, it adds a little bit of gin fizz, thanks to the lime juice and egg white. The twist? It actually uses vodka, rather than gin, to take it up a notch.
Simply combine all the ingredients other than the Sprite in a cocktail shaker, and give it a nice dry shake to turn the egg white to foam. Add ice to the shaker and shake it all again until the drink is cold. Strain the cocktail into a glass, top it with the Sprite, and garnish it with cherries and lime slices.
The Original St. Germain Cocktail
You may not always be inclined to drink green-colored cocktails, but when you do (say, on St. Patrick's Day), make sure you're mixing them up with green chartreuse. This green-hued liqueur takes a little getting used to. Its flavor might be described as intensely herbal.
But, when combined with the citrusy sourness of lemon and grapefruit juice, and the sweetness of simple syrup to make the original St. Germain cocktail, you end up with a drink that's perfect for spring or summer. Then, of course, the foamy white head from the dry shake of the egg white helps soften the edges of the beverage, leaving you with a cocktail you'll gladly sip on while sitting outside on your porch.
Fast Running Break
For those unfamiliar with basketball vernacular, the term "fast break" is a rush to the basket where the offensive team breaks away from its defenders and has a chance at a layup (or a dunk) without much interference. In this case, the name "Fast Running Break," refers to how quickly the cocktail will leave your glass once it's poured — your own defenses won't have much success at slowing down your enjoyment.
This is largely due to the homemade blood orange and ginger simple syrup you'll need to make to enjoy this beverage. It makes the prep work a little more involved (you have to let the fresh ginger sit and infuse in the blood orange juice and sugar for several hours), but once you taste the drink, you won't regret the choice. The other factor that sets this drink apart is the use of Bols De Drie Papegaaien Corenwyn Genever and Cointreau as the alcohol base. These, combined with homemade syrup, lemon juice, Creole bitters, and egg white, provide a frothy, charming, and zingy drink that's unlike anything else on this list.
White dog sour
If you're unfamiliar with white dog whiskey, it's essentially a strong whiskey that's unaged, unoaked, and has its roots with moonshiners. The trouble is a bad white dog whiskey is likely to leave you unwilling to try the drink again — comparisons to the strength and flavor of paint thinner have been made — so this is one alcohol you want to purchase on top shelf.
Aside from the use of this specific type of whiskey, the white dog sour recipe is quite simply a whiskey sour. All you'll need is white dog whiskey, simple syrup, lemon juice, and an egg white. After combining the ingredients and following the standard dry, then wet shakes, you'll strain out the drink and add a dash of Angostura bitters to the top.
Jealous Genepy
Move over green chartreuse; if you enjoy an herbal and vegetal cocktail, the Jealous Genepy, featuring the slightly green-hued Genepy alcohol, should be served up at your next brunch or rooftop happy hour in place of your typical Bloody Mary. Veggie cocktails aren't as typical as fruit or herbal options, but when done well, they can be true game changers.
This cocktail calls for fennel-infused gin, celery, lime juice, grapefruit bitters, homemade coriander syrup, Genepy, and of course, an egg white for that tell-tale foamy head. It's a bit involved to make (thanks to the homemade coriander syrup), which requires coriander seeds, lemon peels, and a cinnamon stick. Still, the celery and fennel aren't overwhelming, ultimately delivering a slightly sweet, slightly sour, and slightly bitter concoction that's certain to satisfy.