Cocktail Builder
Tips, tricks, and advice for mastering mixology.
4 Egg White Cocktails to Shake Up Now

Few drinks are more luxurious, mouthwatering, and seemingly indulgent than an egg white cocktail. The once-feared ingredient — actually totally safe to drink! — is being used by today’s generation of talented bartenders in both superb renditions of long-standing favorites and inventive new creations. After a little shake, the result is a silky foam that delivers incredible creaminess, perfectly complementing the tang of sours, the herbaceousness of bitters, or highlighting an eye-catching garnish. The original 1888 recipe of the classic Ramos Gin Fizz demanded a 12-minute marathon of shaking to create that ideal luscious foam — an approach that has led many people to believe that all egg white cocktails require such time (and arm strength) to create. Today, however, bartenders will agree this notion is nothing but outdated, and most cocktails can be whipped in no more than a mere two to three minutes. You can also easily create these delectable libations on your own at home. While there may be no 12-minute time requirement, the one thing you absolutely do need are fresh eggs. Pasteurized whites from a carton or (gag) powdered egg whites simply won’t cut it. After all, you and liquor only deserve the very best. Here, four of our favorite egg white cocktails that everyone should be shaking up.

Pisco Sour One of the most well-known and beloved of the egg white libations, the Pisco Sour is a South American classic combining Peruvian brandy, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and a couple drops of Angostura bitters. The recipe as it exists today dates back to the 1910s or ‘20s, and is a hard-to-resist combination of potent, tart, sweet, and frothy. See recipe

Ace Cocktail Though you’re not likely to find it on many cocktail menus, the Ace does appear in two books: first in Boothby’s 1934 World Drinks and How to Mix Them and later in Victor Bergeron’s 1972 Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. Not much is known about how the drink originated, but the combination of gin, grenadine, cream, lemon, and egg white makes for a delicious mix that’ll be the ideal complement to your next Sunday brunch. See recipe

Absinthe Suissesse Like the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Absinthe Suissesse dates back to New Orleans — specifically Bourbon Street’s Old Absinthe House, once frequented by the likes of Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain. This potent mix of absinthe, orgeat syrup, half and half, and egg makes for a refreshing sip on a hot summer’s day or a “hair of the dog” hangover cure. NOLA bartender Chris Hannah likes to add a half-ounce of white creme de menthe for a lightly minty kick. See recipe

French 77 Though restaurant Cadet in Santa Monica has since closed its door, their updated take on the French 75 has been one of our favorites since 2015. Featuring the classic cocktail’s combination of lemon juice and Champagne, the libation uses vodka instead of gin, creme de peche for a bright and fruity twist, and egg white to create that undeniably irresistible foam. We may no longer be able to get them at Cadet, but you better believe we’re recreating them at home. See recipe