How to Use Egg White in Cocktails: The Dry Shake

Egg white does not add much flavor to a cocktail, but it transforms the texture. Shaken properly, it turns a Whiskey Sour or Pink Lady silky and smooth, softens sharp citrus, and builds a thick white foam on top. The key is the "dry shake": shaking without ice first, so the egg white can whip up into foam before the ice chills and dilutes the drink.

What You Need

• A cocktail shaker (two-piece tin or three-piece shaker)

• A jigger

• A Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer

• 1 fresh egg white (about 0.75–1 oz / 22–30 ml), or pasteurized egg white from a carton

• Your sour ingredients, for example: 2 oz (60 ml) whiskey, 0.75 oz (22 ml) fresh lemon juice, 0.75 oz (22 ml) simple syrup

• Ice

• Aromatic bitters for garnish (optional)

Step by Step

1. Crack the egg and separate the white from the yolk, letting the white fall into a small cup (not directly into the shaker, in case a bit of shell or yolk gets in).

2. Add the spirit, citrus juice and syrup to the shaker, then add the egg white.

3. Close the shaker tightly with no ice inside.

4. Dry shake hard for 10–15 seconds. You will feel the liquid get lighter and hear it go from a slosh to a softer, thicker sound.

5. Open the shaker carefully (the foam builds pressure), and fill it about two-thirds with ice.

6. Close and shake hard again for 12–15 seconds, until the outside of the tin is very cold.

7. Double strain: hold the Hawthorne strainer on the shaker and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled glass.

8. Let the drink sit for 20–30 seconds so the foam settles into a clean layer.

9. Garnish with 3–4 drops of bitters on the foam if the recipe calls for it.

Tips From the Bar

• Use the freshest eggs you can, and keep them refrigerated. Pasteurized egg whites remove most of the food-safety worry.

• A smell of wet dog is the classic egg-white problem. A few drops of citrus oil from a lemon peel twist, or bitters on top, solve it.

• Thin foam usually means you did not dry shake long enough, or the shaker was not sealed tightly.

• For an even thicker foam, try the "reverse dry shake": shake with ice first, strain out the ice, then shake again without ice for 10 seconds.

• Remove the spring from a Hawthorne strainer and add it to the dry shake. It acts like a whisk and builds foam faster.

Alternatives

• No fresh eggs or worried about raw egg: use pasteurized liquid egg white, 1 oz (30 ml) per drink.

• Vegan option: use aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Use 0.75–1 oz (22–30 ml) and dry shake the same way. It foams beautifully and has no bean taste once mixed.

• No cocktail shaker: a mason jar with a tight lid works for both shakes. Hold the lid firmly.

• No fine mesh strainer: a small kitchen sieve or tea strainer does the same job.

• No simple syrup: dissolve 1 tsp superfine sugar in the lemon juice before adding the other ingredients.

How Long It Keeps

Separated egg whites keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 2–3 days. Pasteurized carton whites last until the date on the pack, or about 7 days once opened.

Where You'll Use This

Whiskey Sour, Gin Fizz, New York Sour, Gin Sour, Rum Sour, Pink Lady, Ramos Gin Fizz, Tequila Sour

Practice this technique inside the CocktailZ University courses.