Not Just for Nog... Cracking the Latest Cocktail Craze: Egg-Based Cocktails Are Creating a Stir This Holiday Season, and Beyond

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This holiday season and
 beyond, a classic cocktail renaissance is inspiring the modern bartender to
 revisit a long-lost ingredient: the raw egg. Universally accepted during
 the holidays as a component to creating fresh eggnog, the egg was once
 commonly used as an element in a whole category of classic cocktails such
 as fizzes, flips and pickups. With old standards like these making a
 comeback, the egg is getting a second crack.
 
     Egg whites act as a great binding agent and create a distinct froth.
 The most creative bartenders are inventing new uses for the egg in drink
 recipes - infusing the whites with fruit syrups and floating them on top of
 drinks or zealously shaking them into modern day Fizzes and Sours.
 
     The recently launched book, "Imbibe!" by David Wondrich, chronicles the
 life of bartending pioneer Jerry Thomas, and it includes many recipes
 calling for the use of raw eggs. "In Jerry Thomas' capable hands, mixology
 was an exacting science, one that scorned to work with second-rate
 materials and tolerated no short cuts," says Wondrich. It is this sentiment
 that is prompting the modern mixologist to explore traditional methods and
 to use fresh ingredients. The book was recently reviewed in a feature by
 William Grimes in The New York Times and the article can be found at
 www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/dining/31cock.html.
 
     While the raw egg idea might make some squirm, it seems the
 trendsetters are on board: Those who order the Ramos Fizz at Audrey
 Saunders' Pegu Club in Manhattan are immediately informed that it will take
 a while. Bartenders are then employed to endlessly shake the raw egg-white
 mixture to create the rich foam that makes this drink so unique. Julie
 Reiner, who is opening "The Clover Club" in Brooklyn in mid-December, has
 named the establishment after the classic raw egg cocktail and will be
 serving several variations of egg-based drinks.
 
     At Eastern Standard in Boston, Bar Manager Jackson Cannon is passionate
 about the resurgence of this trend and an entire section of his bar menu is
 devoted to the infamous "oeuf." Cannon says, "People get intrigued when
 they see us start to crack open the eggs into our cocktail shakers. We are
 not re-inventing the wheel as much as leading people into a re-discovery of
 the wheel." And that seems to excite the country's growing faction of
 cocktail connoisseurs.
 
     While the FDA recommendation is to avoid raw eggs, the actual risk of
 eggs contaminated with Salmonella is relatively minimal. According to the
 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1 in 20,000
 eggs in the U.S. supply will contain the Salmonella bacteria. To avoid the
 risk all together, the FDA suggests substituting pasteurized shell eggs
 that can be found in most grocery stores located next to the regular shell
 eggs. As an alternative, these recipes can also be made with powdered egg
 whites.
 
     Instead of making eggnog when entertaining at home this holiday season,
 break out these inventive variations of classic cocktails. Following are
 egg-based recipes from the country's most innovative mixologists that are
 sure to shake things up:
 
 
 
     Le Grande Flip (brandy) by Jackson Cannon of Eastern Standard in Boston
 
     1 oz. apple brandy
     1/2 oz. Benedictine
     1/2 oz. Orange Juice
     1 whole Egg
     bar spoon of sugar
 
     Preparation:
     Shake all together over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and
 garnish with a twist of orange.
 
 
     Sour Cherry Fizz (single malt) - from Julie Riener of The Clover Club
 in Brooklyn, New York
 
     1 1/2 oz single malt scotch
     � oz Sour Cherry Puree
     � oz Lemon juice
     1 egg white
     Shake and strain over fresh ice in a collins glass
     Top with Cherry Soda (clear)
     Garnish with 2 cherries on a pick laying across the top of the glass
 
     Preparation:
     Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve
 
 
     Marmalade Sour from Jamie Voudreau at Vessel in Seattle
     1 1/2 oz Cachaca
     1/2 oz lemon juice
     Splash of simple syrup
     2 dashes orange bitters
     1/2 egg white
     1 tablespoon of orange, citrus, grapefruit, low sugar marmalade
 
     Preparation:
     Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
 
 
     Tom & Jerry (rum) by Jerry Thomas from Imbibe! By David Wondrich
 
     1 oz of cognac
     1/2 oz of dark rum
     1 egg
     1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
     1 egg
 
     Preparation:
     Separate 1 egg. Beat the yolk with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon
 dark, heavy-bodied rum. Separately, beat the white until it sustains stiff
 peaks. Fold the white into the yolk. To serve, put this batter into a
 pre-heated mug, add 1 oz cognac and 1/2 oz dark rum (as above), top with
 hot milk and grate nutmeg over the top.
 
 
     Ramos Fizz (Pegu House Recipe) from Audrey Saunders at Pegu Club in NYC
     1 1/4 oz Gin
     1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
     1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
     1 oz Simple Syrup
     1 oz Heavy Cream
     1 small egg white
     4 drops of Orange Flower Water
     Preparation:
     Shake all ingredients with ice except the soda and strain into a 12 oz
 Collins glass that is filled with 2 ice cubes. Top with 1 oz of club soda
 and dash top of drink w/ 3-4 dashes Cardamom tincture
 
     To Prepare Cardamom tincture:
     Add 1/2 oz cracked cardamom to 8 oz vodka. Allow to steep until
 cardamom
     flavor develops. Strain off solids, and funnel into a clean dropper
 bottle. Use 3-4 dashes for the cocktail and store the rest for future use.
 
     Iron Cross from Tobey Maloney of The Violet Hour in Chicago
 
     1 1/2 oz Pisco
     � oz Lemon Juice
     � oz Simple Syrup
     1 egg white
     3 drops Orange Flower Water
     3 dashes of Summer Bitters
 
     Preparation:
     Shake all ingredients (Shake without adding ice for 7 seconds to aerate
 the egg white. Makes a thicker, creamier meringue). Strain. Serve up.
 
     Orange Marmalade Sour Fizz from Sean Beck at Backstreet Cafe in Houston
 
     1 oz Bourbon
     1/2 oz triple sec
     1 heaping tablespoon of fresh made Orange Marmalade (Substitute Store
 bought for ease)
     1 oz of lemon juice
     Splash of simple syrup
     2 dashes of Angostura bitters or West Indian Orange Bitters for a
 milder flavor
     1 Egg White
 
     Preparation:
     Combine in a shaker and shake extremely well. Serve in an oversized
 bowl shaped Riedel Stemless Wine Glass with a bit of ice. Garnish with an
 orange twist in the glass.
 
     The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States is a national trade
 association representing the leading brands of distilled spirits. Council
 member products include the full spectrum of quality distilled spirits such
 as Bourbon, Scotch and other whiskeys, vodka, gin, tequila, rum, brandy,
 cordials and liqueurs.
     The distillers take special pride in their products as well as in their
 commitment to encourage responsible beverage alcohol consumption by adults
 who choose to drink. If you choose to drink, consume sensibly and
 responsibly. An important part of responsible drinking is understanding
 that a standard drink of regular beer (12 oz.), distilled spirits (1.5 oz.
 of 80-proof spirits) and wine (5 oz.) each contains the same amount of
 alcohol.
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE Distilled Spirits Council of the United States