What a pleasure it was to see LeNell Smothers (with Eric Seed) in her seminar "Cracking The Egg." LeNell owns a liquor store in Brooklyn and has a tendency to pepper her seminars with as much sexual innuendo as possible. She ended her seminar on the use of eggs in cocktails, a favorite subject of mine, with a surprise finish that I would not have thought possible for such a venue. Even if she hadn't ended her talk with such a grand climax, it would have been an enjoyable session, and certainly the liveliest I attended.
LeNell began by going through a list of egg facts, including debunking a few myths. The brown ones aren't necessarily better, as it happens, and you don't need a rooster, though she admits that "roosters are fun to have around... ."
My full notes from the session are at the bottom of this post.
Importantly I think Eric Seed made a convincing case that eggs are relatively safe to use in cocktails. If his numbers are correct, the average consumer encounters a contaminated egg once in 42 years. They discussed safety considerations, most of which fall into the category of "if you are not a complete dumb-ass, you already know this." She suggested, for example, that it was not very attractive for bartenders to separate eggs with their fingers.
Excitingly, an important and heretofore-unbeknownst-to-me use for Vodka was discovered: spritzing the outside of the eggs with Vodka serves to sanitize them.
I also learned that the spring can be removed from a Hawthorne shaker and put in the cocktail shaker while "dry shaking" the ingredients, with the effect of throwing a whisk into your shaker. This helps immensely with the arduous shaking tasks required by cocktails such as the Ramos Gin Fizz.
LeNell went through a history of the use of eggs in cocktails, many of which I have never attempted--Caudles, Possets, Syllabubs among them. Use of eggs began diminishing in the mid 19th century and by the 1960's had all but faded away. Judging by the number of mixologists in the room, it appears that the new guard isn't afraid to put an egg in the shaker.
We tasted two egg drinks, LeNell's own Mae West Royal Diamond Fizz (recipe below) and the Ramos Gin Fizz (which by most accounts is pronounced RAY-mos). Then LeNell moved into the Grand Finale. She asked for a volunteer from the audience so that she could demonstrate the best way to enjoy a Prairie Oyster. Since the volunteers didn't exactly rush the stage, LeNell called from the audience a strapping young man whom she identified as Matty. Once he ascended the bimah, LeNell promptly removed his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, and instructed him to lay down on the table. She then proceeded to crack a raw egg yolk into his belly button, prepare it with soy sauce and tabasco, and lick it up. I have never had the opportunity to partake of the Prairie Oyster in this fashion but having now seen it I am left with no doubt that this is the most enjoyable method.
"Why use eggs?" asks Lenell. “The are just so f*cking sexy!” (For evidence, she attempted to show a clip from the film “Tampopo," though suffered from an A/V malfunction. I personally thought she had enough evidence laying on the table...)
Cracking the Egg
Presented by LeNell Smothers and Eric Seed
LeNell's credentials— An old farm girl, who also raises backyard poultry in Brooklyn NY
First a few facts about eggs:
With eggs, Size matters
Jumbo 2.5 oz
XL 2 oz
Large 1.5 oz
Medium 1 oz.
Small .5
Time from ovulation to laying is 25 hrs
Egg myths
You have to have a rooster. Roosters are “fun to have around…but you don’t need a rooster”
Blood spots and brown spots on the yolk mean its bad (“No, that just means the girl had a little blow-out when she was laying the egg…”)
Righ gold yolks are free range
Brown eggs are better
Raw eggs make you sick
Salmonella—the most common food-borne illness in US
One egg per 20,000 is contaminated
Average consumer encounters a contaminate egg once in 42 years
One outbreak for every one billion eggs consumed
Bacteria is most commonly found in the egg white
Safety:
Consider what gets exposed to the egg—limit exposure to the outside of egg
Sanitize equipment before and after use
Keep cracked eggs cold
Wash hands after using
Spray surface of egg with vodka to sanitize “There it is…vodka has a purpose”
Freshness
Eggs keep for a long time but there is steady quality degradation
Dates—Every carton of eggs has two dates. Julian date is the pack date; sell-by date can be no more than 45 days after packing. Recommended no more than 28 days old
Freshness considerations:
Does it wobble?
Is white thick or watery?
Cracks or flaws?
Is egg yolk convex?
Is there a foul odor?
Does it float? (“a floater is a stinker—out the back door best fing ‘er” according to _
“Can You Eat That Egg” by Scott Matthews)
Preservatives/Inhibitors:
Sugar
Salt
Ice
Alcohol above 8%--salmonella can’t thrive in here, which is good since any spirit you will be mixing egg whites with will be over 8%
Any acid w/ PH less than 5 (Vinegar, lime, grapefruit, even prune all fall below pH5)
In England eggs are stamped to show vaccination against salmonella, also production considerations
Modern considerations:
Eggs were smaller in the past, therefore vintage recipes will need to be adjusted
Milk of days past was not pasteurized, and still had cream in it
When mixing, the order of adding ingredients—don’t want alcohol to cook egg
“Dry shaking” first –emulsifying first helps
“Dirty glasses” complaints from bartenders –“Get the fuck over it.!“
It’s time consuming—be patient and do it right
Tools and prep:
Egg separator
Egg cutter
Squeeze bottle
Throw the spring from the hawthorne shaker into the shaker while dry shaking
Cleaning—rinse the glass out with cold water first
Alternatives to Farm Fresh:
Pasteurized
Powdered Egg Whites
Frozen Egg Whites
>consider based on needs, use, volume
Upside on freshness v. store bought (though not hens or farmers mkt)
If working three deep at the bar, this may be the way to go.
“Never pass up an old bookstore. You can read this stuff online but it’s kind of like porn—eventually you want something you can hold in your hand”
Some vintage egg drinks:
Caudles—dating back to 1300’s. Warm spiced drink w/ wine or ale, thickened with egg yolks.
Possets—cream, sugar, wine/ale. Eggs often added. Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, mace
Sack Posset –with sherry
Syllabubs—cream, sugar, wine, fall spices. Sometimes rosemary or lemon rind used
Cow milk, sometimes milked right into bowl. Served as desserts in pretty glasses
A way for the ladies to imbibe with social acceptance
(See Isabella Beaton, Syllabub 1869)
Sours—lemon, sugar, water, spirit, egg white. Popular 1860’s-1960’s. Early on, made with brandy, Holland gin, applejack, bourbon, rye, or rum. Sometimes topped with red wine.
Flips—ale or liquor, eggs, sometime cream, sugar. The originals were hot ones stirred, though modern flips are cold. Loggerhead or “flip dog”. Served in flip cups with no handles. “A colonial drink to warm you up…”
Fizzes
Silver contains white
Gold contains yolk
Royal contains whole egg
Diamond topped with champagne.
Mae West Royal Diamond Fizz
2 oz. goji-infused Four Roses Single Barrel
½ oz Pama
1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
Whole egg
Brut Champagne
Shake all ingredients except champagne to emulsify. Add ice and shake hard. Pour into glass half rimmed with hot sugar (4 T sugar, ¼ t cayenne, pinch cocoa). Top with Champagne. Garnish with two bourbon soaked goji berries.
Nogs
By mid 19th c. egg use in daily cocktails has diminished; was used for special occasion drinks. Thomas describes nogs as a beverage of American origin.
Eggs after separation—use the yolks for ice cream!
