Flip Family

The Flip family is one of the oldest in cocktail history, with origins in 17th-century English and American taverns. Early flips were made by plunging a hot fire-iron called a loggerhead or flip-dog into a mixture of ale, rum or brandy, and molasses or sugar, creating a steaming, frothy drink with a distinct toasted flavor. The name flip likely referred to the way the iron flipped or agitated the mixture.

By the early 18th century, cold versions were being made by vigorously stirring or throwing the mixture between vessels to create froth. The transition from hot iron-heated drinks to chilled shaken cocktails happened gradually through the 18th and 19th centuries as ice became available and cocktail culture formalized.

Jerry Thomas documented Flips in his 1862 Bar-Tender's Guide, and by then the format had settled into its modern form: a spirit or fortified wine combined with egg and sugar, shaken vigorously. The whole egg — yolk and white together — creates a rich, dense, creamy texture distinct from drinks made with egg white alone. The yolk adds fat and protein that produce a silkier, fuller mouthfeel.

Classic Flips include the Sherry Flip (dry sherry, whole egg, sugar), the Brandy Flip, and the Port Flip. Each uses a fortified wine or spirit as the base, with the egg providing the characteristic richness. Eggnog is a close relative — a sweetened spiced Flip made with cream and typically scaled up for batching.

Modern bartenders have extended the Flip format to include any spirit base. A properly made Flip should be shaken extremely vigorously — the whole egg requires sustained agitation to emulsify fully — and strained into a chilled glass, typically a coupe or cocktail glass, often garnished with freshly grated nutmeg.