Mix a margarita and a key lime pie and what do you get? Something a lot like this meringue-topped cocktail. Unlike the stiff meringues you pipe onto desserts, this meringue stays a bit softer, so it pours onto the top of the cocktail and floats in a drinkable layer.
Makes 1 cocktail
1½ ounces tequila blanco (aka silver tequila)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 medium lime)
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce agave nectar
1 egg white
2 teaspoons sugar
Maldon or other flaked sea salt
›› Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add the tequila, lime juice, Cointreau, and agave nectar; stir a few times until chilled. Strain into a 5-ounce stemmed glass.
›› Add the egg white and sugar to a cocktail shaker with ¼ cup of ice. Shake vigorously until the egg white is fluffy.
›› Pour the meringue over the back of a spoon onto the top of the margarita to help the meringue float on top of the cocktail. Garnish with a few grains of sea salt.
The Bumblebee is a classic sour cocktail, but it is sweetened with honey instead of sugar. If you prefer, you can use agave nectar, which pours and blends a bit easier than honey.
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces dark rum
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from one medium lime)
1½ to 2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 egg white
Orange peel, for garnish
›› Add the rum, lime juice, and honey to a cocktail shaker and stir until the honey dissolves. Add ½ cup ice and shake a few times, then strain into a 5-ounce stemmed glass.
›› Add the egg white and sugar to the cocktail shaker with ¼ cup of ice. Shake vigorously until the egg white is fluffy.
›› Pour the meringue over the back of a spoon onto the top of the cocktail. Garnish with an orange twist.
A flip is a cocktail that uses a whole egg instead of just the egg white, so you can pretend like you’re Rocky while you’re getting your drink on. If a whole egg skeeves you out, you can use an egg white instead, but your cocktail will be more frothy than creamy. If you can’t find Navan, you can substitute another vanilla liquor, or make your own vanilla cognac by tossing a couple of whole vanilla beans into the bottle and letting it sit for a couple of weeks. You’ll need to add 1 ounce of simple syrup to the cocktail for a similar flavor.
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces Navan vanilla cognac
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, (from 1 medium lemon)
1 egg
2 drops Vanilla or Angostura bitters
›› Combine all ingredients except the bitters in a cocktail shaker with about ½ cup ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a 5-ounce stemmed glass and dot with bitters.
pisco sour
The pisco sour is my favorite classic cocktail. It’s the perfect combination of sour and sweet, with the egg white both tempering the alcohol and giving it a lovely, light frothiness.
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces pisco
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 teaspoon egg whites
2 drops Angostura bitters
›› Combine all ingredients except the bitters in a cocktail shaker with about % cup of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a 5-ounce stemmed glass and dot with bitters.
A fizz is a type of classic sour cocktail that pairs sweet and sour mixers, an egg white for foam, and club soda for effervescence. This fizz adds a bit of floral and fruit for a beautiful and tasty tipple.
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces vodka
1½ ounces St-Germain elder-flower liqueur
2 blackberries, muddled
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
1 egg white
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ounce club soda
Blackberries for garnish
›› Combine all ingredients (except the club soda and garnish) in a cocktail shaker with about ½ cup of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a 5-ounce stemmed glass and top with the club soda. Garnish with a fresh blackberry.
coffee cocktail
The classic coffee cocktail doesn’t contain any coffee, but it looks so much like a hot cup of joe, complete with a layer of crema, that the name still fits.
Makes 1 cocktail
1½ ounce cognac
1½ ounce ruby port
1 egg
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg
›› Combine all ingredients except the nutmeg in a cocktail shaker with about ½ cup of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a 5-ounce stemmed glass and garnish with the nutmeg.
