Egg White Cocktails: How to Get Perfect Foam

For the thickest, most stable foam on a sour, use the reverse dry shake: shake with ice, strain, then shake again without ice. Then hide the eggy smell with a few drops of bitters or a twist of citrus over the top.

That's the short version. Egg white is one of the most rewarding ingredients behind a bar, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Here's how to get it right.

Why put egg white in a cocktail?

Egg white adds body and a silky, almost creamy feel in the mouth, without adding much flavour. It's what turns a good Whisky Sour or Pisco Sour into a memorable one.

It's also the best foaming agent you can use. Thanks to its protein content (around 10%), it traps air bubbles and holds them far longer than juice or spirit ever could. That's the thick white cap you see on a well-made sour.

The problem nobody mentions: the smell

Egg white has a downside. On its own in a drink, it can give off an aroma that's uncomfortably close to wet dog or damp cat. Once you've noticed it, you can't un-notice it.

The fix is easy. Put something aromatic on top of the foam:

A few drops of bitters on the foam. Angostura is the classic, and you can drag a cocktail stick through the drops to make a pattern.
Citrus oils. Twist a strip of lemon or orange peel over the glass to spray its oils across the surface.
A dusting of spice. Cocoa, freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon, depending on the drink.

Don't overdo the egg either. Too much egg white makes a drink heavy and eggy. A little goes a long way: half the white of a small egg is plenty for one cocktail.

Dry shake vs reverse dry shake

This is where the foam is won or lost.

The dry shake

Many bartenders shake egg drinks twice: first without ice (the "dry shake"), then again with ice. The idea is that without ice, the mix stays warmer, emulsifies better and traps more air.

A neat trick: drop the spring from a Hawthorne strainer into the shaker during the dry shake. It acts like a whisk. Some brands even sell a spring designed for exactly this.

The dry shake does give you more foam than a single shake with ice. But it isn't the best method.

The reverse dry shake

The reverse dry shake gives an even thicker, more stable foam. Greek bartender Aristotelis Papadopoulos, from Thessaloniki, is credited with popularising it. Here's how:

Shake all the ingredients with ice, as you normally would, for about 12 seconds.
Strain the drink into the small tin of your shaker and throw away the ice.
Close the shaker and shake again, hard, without ice.
Fine-strain into the glass through a small mesh strainer. It catches any leftover bits of egg, including the stringy chalazae that hold the yolk in place.
Garnish the foam with bitters, citrus oils or spice.

The first time you compare a dry-shaken and a reverse-dry-shaken sour side by side, the difference is obvious. Getting your timing and your seal right on that second shake is something we practise in the SHAKR Academy cocktail course, along with the classic sour family it's used for.

One more texture trick

Bigger ice gives better foam. Shaking with one large cube plus a few regular cubes builds a finer, denser texture than regular cubes alone. More on how ice affects your drinks in the 12-second shaking rule.

How to use raw egg safely

Raw egg carries a small risk of salmonella. In decades of making cocktails, I've had more stomach aches from too much alcohol than from eggs. Still, it pays to be careful.

Choosing and storing eggs

Pick small or medium eggs, not large ones. Shell colour doesn't matter: it depends on the hen's breed, not on its diet or the egg's quality.
Buy organic or free-range from hens raised in decent conditions.
Store eggs in an airtight box in the fridge. Shells are porous and pick up fridge smells. (You can use that the other way round: put citrus peel, spices or tea in the box to perfume the eggs.)
Use them well before their best-before date.
Rinse the shell under warm water just before cracking. Don't wash eggs as soon as you buy them, as that damages their protective film.

The freshness test: put the egg in a bowl of water. A fresh egg sinks. An old egg floats.

Don't use raw egg if:

you're unsure how fresh it is, or the shell is cracked or damaged
the white is watery instead of thick, or the yolk is flat and breaks easily
it smells off
you're pregnant, have a weakened immune system or any other health concern

If you'd rather avoid the risk altogether, use pasteurised egg white, sold in cartons in most supermarkets. It foams almost as well.

A practical tip: when I crack eggs for service, I separate the whites into a squeezy bottle. I give it a shake to loosen the whites, keep it in the fridge, and use it within 48 hours. Then I can dose the right amount into every drink in a second.

Going further: cocktail foams

Some cocktails get a separate foam topping, with a flavour that contrasts with the drink below. These are made in a cream whipper (siphon) charged with nitrous oxide.

The basics:

Protein is what makes it foam: use one egg white per 200 ml of flavoured liquid, or one gelatine leaf per 500 ml. Some bartenders add a little gelatine even with egg for a finer, longer-lasting foam.
Keep alcohol low: below 20%, ideally below 10%, and avoid anything oily.
Sweeten it with a syrup or honey, and fine-strain any fruit juice.
Fill the siphon only two-thirds, use one charger for a 500 ml siphon and two for 1 litre, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The colder the foam, the thicker and longer it holds.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to drink raw egg white in cocktails? The risk is small with fresh, well-stored eggs. Use pasteurised egg white if you're pregnant, have a weak immune system or simply prefer to be safe.

What's the difference between a dry shake and a reverse dry shake? A dry shake goes without ice first, then with ice. A reverse dry shake goes with ice first, then without ice. The reverse method gives a thicker, more stable foam.

How do I stop egg white cocktails smelling eggy? Top the foam with a few drops of bitters, the oils from a citrus twist, or a light dusting of cocoa, nutmeg or cinnamon.

How much egg white per cocktail? Less than you think. Half the white of a small egg is plenty.

Make your first great sour

Fresh eggs, a reverse dry shake and an aromatic finish. Get those three right and your sours will look and taste like they came from a serious cocktail bar.

If you want to master the whole sour family, and every other classic, the SHAKR Academy cocktail course walks you through it in 57 lessons across 8 modules, with a PDF manual of all the recipes and techniques, the full course as an audiobook for when your hands are busy, and a certification exam to earn your medal. Start the SHAKR Academy course.