Pasteurized Egg White Technique

Use egg whites immediately after separating for best foaming performance. Separated whites can be covered and refrigerated for up to four days, though foaming volume decreases slightly with age. Do not freeze egg whites for cocktail use. Keep refrigerated.

The dry shake is non-negotiable for proper egg white foam — shaking without ice first allows the proteins to begin unfolding and creating foam structure before ice dilution interferes with the process. Any trace of egg yolk in the white will prevent proper foaming; the lecithin in yolk destabilizes the foam proteins. Use pasteurized eggs whenever the egg white will not be cooked — they are virtually identical in foaming performance to fresh eggs and eliminate food safety risk. Aquafaba from chickpea cans works at an equal ratio substitution (roughly one ounce per egg white) and produces a slightly more stable foam that can be dry shaken for a longer period without deflating.

Egg whites have been used in cocktails since at least the 19th century, appearing in recipes for flips, sours, and fizzes in American cocktail manuals including Jerry Thomas's 1862 Bartender's Guide — the Silver Gin Fizz, made with gin, lemon, sugar, and egg white topped with soda, was a defining preparation of the era. The foam created by vigorously shaking egg white with citrus and spirit became a characteristic element of the American cocktail tradition. Concerns about Salmonella from raw eggs became widespread in the 1980s and 1990s following documented outbreaks, leading to the development of commercially pasteurized eggs heated to 140°F for 3.5 minutes — hot enough to eliminate pathogens while preserving the proteins responsible for foaming. The dry shake technique — shaking without ice first to create foam, then again with ice to chill — was refined by craft bartenders in the 2000s and produces noticeably thicker, more stable foam than a single ice shake. Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas, was identified as a functional egg white substitute in 2014 and provides a fully vegan alternative with comparable foaming properties.

A honey-sweetened egg white foam can be made by adding half a teaspoon of warm honey to the egg white before dry shaking — the honey adds sweetness and a slightly thicker texture. A lavender egg white foam, made by adding one drop of culinary lavender extract to the white before shaking, is used in French 75 and sparkling wine cocktails for a fragrant, decorative foam. For a vegan foam that outperforms aquafaba in volume and stability, use the liquid from a can of white beans (cannellini) — the protein concentration is higher than chickpea liquid and produces a particularly firm foam.

Contains egg (a top-eight allergen). Not suitable for those with egg allergies. The vegan aquafaba alternative (chickpea liquid) is egg-free but is derived from legumes — those with legume allergies should use the white bean alternative or avoid entirely. Naturally gluten-free.