Flipped Life

For the anniversary cocktail I thought we should go “all in”.  That is, use the whole egg, rather than just the egg white.  Eggs have been finding their way into cocktails, believe it or not, for centuries.  Various terms have been used to describe these concoctions but classically they are known as “flips” and “eggnogs”.  The flip began life in the 1690’s as a hot mixture of beer, rum and sugar, frothed up with a hot poker known as a "flip-dog" (as to why the hot poker was called a "flip-dog", one can only speculate - I don't think I would have wanted to be a dog back then).  Eventually, someone added a whole egg and turned it into a cold drink, improved by “flipping” the contents back and forth between pitchers to mix before serving.  Recipes for flips first appeared in “Professor” Jerry Thomas’s classic guide, "How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon-Vivant’s Companion” in 1862.  Eggnog came along later, and adds cream to the mix.  But some flips now have cream too, so the distinction isn’t as clear anymore.  It’s all pretty delicious either way.  

The Flipped Life - go ahead, you deserve it!

I have created a drink celebrating the egg which I call the “Flipped Life” cocktail.  It has all the good stuff.  Sweet sherry, smoky scotch, a rich syrup made with demerara sugar, heavy cream, and, of course, a whole egg.  This is no spring sipper, but you deserve it anyway.  I’d like to toast everyone for putting up with my ramblings about cocktail history, and thank you all for reading, and hopefully, enjoying, my writing.  Cheers!

These two are eggsactly right for the occasion

The Flipped Life

1 oz Pedro Ximénez Sherry

1 oz Peat Monster Scotch (or other peat forward scotch)

½ oz demerara syrup (or rich simple syrup)

½ heavy cream

1 whole (pasteurized) egg

2-3 dashed Jerry Thomas Barrel Aged Bitters

Shake everything together vigorously for about 1 minute without ice.  Add ice and shake another 20 seconds to chill, then strain into a favorite glass.  Grate fresh nutmeg on top.