Egg Yolk Cocktails: Notes from a brief tour · 5:49pm Mar 5th, 2017
I had a fair amount of extra time over the summer, and decided to take on a fun side project. I've loved mixing drinks for years[1], and some of my favorites—from the basic whisky sour through the extraordinarily rich-yet-refreshing Ramos gin fizz or the playfully thematic MacKinnon sour—use egg white as an ingredient, and with one exception, I never really had much to do with the yolks. So I decided to go through a list of standard egg yolk cocktails and see what would be worth keeping for the future.
In celebration of the coming of the always-alcohol-relevant spring break I'm putting the results up (because what could be more relevant for a Pony fanfiction site?), a (depressing) mere ~half a year after finishing and mostly writing up the exercise. 
[1] *Looks at avatar's ass* ... Shocking, I know.
Note: Since it comes up in basically every recipe, "double shake" refers to shaking the relevant ingredients dry, or without ice, first, then again with ice. I find it helps with incorporating the egg and getting the right effects on the proteins (especially with white, but yolk too) compared to going straight to shaking with ice. Consequently I prefer using a Boston shaker[2] when making egg drinks, though a regular shaker with an easily removed top is fine[3]. Needing to work to pry the shaker open between the two steps is a losing proposition, though, even when I'm willing to put up with that in other cases.
[2]
[3]
Probably more like this:
than this:
Bosom's Caress:
1 oz. Brandy
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 Egg Yolk
1 tsp. Grenadine
Double shake and strain
Yields low volume, somewhat high alcohol concentration drink (especially with high-proof triple sec like Cointreau) with brandy most forward, but notes of orange coming through after sitting a few minutes. Would probably go with something else if not in the mood for brandy specifically.
Bosom Caresser #2: same as above, just with orange curacao in place of Triple Sec
Mostly the same, but with more balance to the orange/citrus flavor and a bit more bitterness. Might add a dash or so extra of grenadine as result. On the whole, prefer to Bosom's Caress, but not by a large margin.
Night Light: Same as BC#2, without grenadine and white rum replacing brandy
Very simple flavor, very creamy and eggy, so where that's the goal, it works well. Even without the grenadine, it's not that bitter apart from a bit on the finish. If doing, make sure you like the taste of the rum used, because its flavor will not be overwhelmed by the other ingredients'.
Bronx Golden:
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 oz. Gin
Juice of 1/4 Orange / 1/2 oz. Orange Juice
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake strain into a sour glass. Garnish with an orange slice.
The dry vermouth comes through more heavily than I'd prefer, so I probably won't be returning to it. The color is a very pleasant gold, and there results a more significant foamy head than most of these drinks, probably as a result of an interaction between the juice and the egg, so for someone more tolerant of the vermouth taste but wanting this effect this could be a winner. May return to it sometime going lighter on the dry, but doubtful.
Casino Royale:
2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Maraschino Liqueur
dash(es) Orange Bitters
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake and strain
Not bad, but not very flavorful. Keep the dash of bitters small. Carries the silkiness of the egg yolk well, but frankly I hope I can do better than this.
Chocolate Cocktail:
1 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
1 oz. Maraschino
1 Egg Yolk
1 tsp. cocoa (optional)
Double shake and strain
This is one I was very familiar with (both with and without the cocoa) before starting this exercise; in fact, it was my egg-yolk staple. It makes one of the smallest of the drinks on this list, but in this case that's something of an advantage: this thick, sweet, flavorful concoction is well suited for use as a dessert drink, and scaling it up might be pushing it even for someone who appreciates it as I do. Either preparation has the herbal notes of the Chartreuse more powerful, but a little bitterness and a hint of cherry comes through from the Maraschino. They complement each other well, and the yolk adds to the already thick mixture of two liqueurs to make a velvety smoothness that coats the tongue a bit even after swallowing. The cocoa, if added, ends up the main flavor, with the others providing a meaningful accent, and it might be worth trying this way first if you don't know if you like the herbal character of Chartreuse going in, since it smooths that out significantly. Might make a good introduction. The suspended cocoa does give a very slight feeling of grittiness, though, which can detract for those sensitive to that sort of thing. In any case, both are good, but not particularly suited to use with food or as an aperitif, in my opinion.
Chocolate Cocktail #2:
1 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
3 oz. Port
1 tsp. Crushed Chocolate/Cocoa
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake and strain.
The taste of port is strongest here, but the interaction of the ingredients did not work for me; I had to confirm that the port hadn't spoiled or something, because this came through as nothing so much as soured wine with some chocolate mixed in. I think I'll stick to Chocolate Cocktail #1.
Coffee Cocktail:
3/4 oz. Brandy
3/4 oz. Port
1 tsp. Sugar or Syrup Equivalent
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake with and strain into a wine glass. Garnish with nutmeg.
Yields small drink, at least for one with wine as a prominent ingredient. Unsurprisingly, tastes very little of alcohol, and goes down easy with a mild sweetness and somewhat fruity flavor, with the port the most prominent flavor (yolk flavor hardly comes through at all, but contributes to color and thick texture). I could go for this any time, but it's probably a best fit for dessert. The color is somewhat purple; I believe this would be closer to the color and opacity of coffee if I had used tawny port instead of ruby.
Eye-Opener:
1 1/2 oz White Rum
1/2 oz Triple Sec (I used Cointreau)
2 tsp. Absinthe
1 tsp. White Creme de Cacao
1 Egg Yolk
1 tsp. sugar
Double shake and strain
Good mouthfeel, only slight alcohol flavor, against some sweetness, but far from the point of being syrupy or difficult to get through. Most of the taste comes from the absinthe, but the yolk itself comes through to a degree. Might actually even consider this as a regular for when I want an absinthe-forward drink.
Golden Fizz:
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 Oz Lemon
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
Soda
Double shake first four ingredients, strain into glass and top with soda, gently stir to mix.
Not bad, but very basic. Light on the soda so as not to overly dilute the feel or taste of the yolk. Easy and inoffensive, a potential go-to for the cases where you don't care what it is as long as it carries a yolk, or are limited on ingredients. The fizz in combination with the creaminess of the yolk is nice.
Golden Slipper:
2 oz. Apricot Brandy
3/4 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
1 Egg Yolk (Unbroken)
Stir brandy and Chartreuse with ice, strain into cocktail glass and float yolk on top. Well, my yolk just sank to the bottom and stayed there so it had to go down at the end. As for the taste, I like it quite a bit. The brandy cuts the syrupy feel and taste of the Chartreuse to more manageable levels, while enjoyably preserving the complex herbal taste. From the opposite direction, the Chartreuse covers the medicinal taste of the apricot brandy better than just about anything I've paired it with, while if anything pulling out a subtle apricot flavor more than I taste on its own. That mixture is pretty solid. That said, the temperature/quality dropoff here happens pretty fast; I don't think it's a good drink to let sit, even bearing in mind that's not a great thing to do generally. Swallowing the yolk felt gross even with some of the last of the alcohol mixture. If you're into that sort of thing, I'd say go for it, otherwise, in the event I return to this one it'll be without the egg yolk.
Lil Naue:
1 oz. Brandy
1/2 oz. Apricot Brandy
1/2 oz. Port
1 tsp. Powdered Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake and strain into a red wine glass. Garnish with ground cinnamon.
There's a bit of an unpleasant bitter twinge coming through, I think from the apricot brandy. I do like the spicy scent from the cinnamon garnish, more pronounced and popping more than the nutmeg often used with cream-based drinks, and might keep that in mind as an option in the future with other drinks featuring brandy or port. Probably wouldn't do this again over a Coffee Cocktail, though.
Milkshake:
1 1/3 oz. Irish Cream
4 oz. Milk
1 Egg Yolk
dash(es) Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Syrup
Double shake and strain.
This was better than I expected it to be. Irish cream has never really been my thing, but the cut flavor here helps and seems complemented by a hint of sour from the lemon. The texture is smooth and a little velvety, with a thin layer of foam on top, but nothing like the cloying thickness of Irish cream on its own. I'd go heavy on the ice and long on the second shake, since it's a large volume. I could see this becoming something of a dessert staple for me, especially if I want a smaller alcohol impulse than, say, an Alexander would give--this is, after all, an extremely weak vector for alcohol.
Royal Clover Club Cocktail:
1 1/2 oz. Gin
Juice of 1/2 Lemon (~1/2 - 1 oz. Lemon Juice)
1 tbsp. Grenadine
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake and strain.
This makes an attractive drink, with an opaque orange-pink color and slight whitish foam at the top (might be worth not being too fastidious in separating the egg, keeping a bit more than the absolute minimum of white to accentuate/increase this). It's got a light, refreshing flavor, little if any alcohol taste on serving, with some nice fruitiness coming through from the grenadine, and the gin comes through easily meaningfully enough to make it worth exploring the effect of different gins. I'm calling this one a winner.
Scotch Bird Flyer:
1 1/2 oz. Scotch
1/2 oz. Triple Sec (Cointreau)
1 oz. Cream
1/2 tsp. Powdered Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake, champagne flute.
Scotch forward flavor, might be worth upping the triple sec amount a little bit if using a robust Scotch, or even reducing the Scotch a bit. Extra smooth and silky due to the cream in addition to the yolk (perhaps also the bit of corn starch in the powdered sugar) but by the same token very heavy and thick. I like it, but it's probably best as a low-sweetness dessert drink or otherwise when not expecting to eat or drink much of substance for a while after.
Thunder:
1 1/2 oz. Brandy
1 tsp. Powdered Sugar
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake and strain
The brandy goes well with the egg yolk, and the powdered sugar gives some sweetness while accentuating the creaminess. On the whole, not bad, but the heat from the pepper, though not unpleasant, isn't doing much for me, so I have higher hopes for . . .
Thunder-and-Lightning:
1 1/2 oz. Brandy
1 tsp. Powdered Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
Double shake and strain
The taste of alcohol comes through more clearly here, and it's left a little bland. Might try with a rounded teaspoon or half a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and some orange flower water to smooth it out and liven it up a bit. (Yeah, did find that an improvement.)
Takeaways:
Royal Clover Club Cocktail—a big all-purpose winner!
Eye-Opener—great if also in the mood for absinthe!
Scotch Bird Flyer—solidly enjoyable, if perhaps best left as a digestif!
Milkshake—solid dessert drink for when you want less alcohol than some of the alternatives
Coffee Cocktail—pretty similar, gotta remember to use tawny rather than ruby port
Golden Slipper—I won't ever use it as a vector for egg yolk again, but the spirit mixture itself was surprisingly good
And of course the Chocolate Cocktail #1 remains great; #2 is pretty bad though
So, came away with two great new reasonably all-around drinks—one gin and one whisky at that, covering those bases nicely!—plus some special purpose ones. Pretty happy with how this turned out.
So this is why you're called Icy Shake. :) The more I know about you, the cooler you get.
I'm gonna go drink some booze now. :V
4444495 Yep! And thanks.
And I certainly endorse Sunday afternoon drinking. And various other times as circumstances permit long as nothing's pushing against. :V
Just stumbled upon this. I'm not much of a mixologist (I'm mostly a beer and scotch man, myself), but I do like to try something new every now and then. I just tried the Royal Clover Club with lime juice substituted for lemon (it was all I had in the house
), and I thought it both looked and tasted wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
4571455
Bit of a surprise you'd run into the post, but since you got something you liked out of it, I'm glad you did!