TAKE FOOD FURTHER.70 plate THE EGG ISSUE

by Anthony Todd

Bartenders aren’t always comfortable

using raw eggs in cocktails, and, frankly,

customers aren’t always comfortable

drinking them. There’s no one better

to reassure both than Stephen Cole,

general manager and beverage director

of Chicago’s Lone Wolf and Barrelhouse

Flat. He began his career as a chef, and

has applied his knowledge of all things

eggs—from whites to yolks to protein

structures—behind the bar.

 What was the first egg drink you

ever encountered?

It was probably when I was 12 or 13,

when someone made my family eggnog

with actual egg. We al l looked at it, were

really confused and said, ‘Why are there

eggs in eggnog? That sounds disgusting!’

Do customers ever react the same way?

Not as much as when The Violet Hour

opened in Chicago seven years ago. Back

then, people would get mad, and ask,

‘What are you doing putting an egg in my

sour?’ They were worried about taste,

safety. People were grossed out, and

heads would turn halfway down the bar.

How did you convince them to try it?

First, I offered to buy it back i f they

didn’t like it. If that didn’t work, I asked,

‘Have you ever eaten raw cookie dough?

Because if so, that has eggs in it, and

you’re alive right now.’

 Are you ever worried about drinking

them?

No. Honestly? I was born and raised

on a chicken farm. Anything bad is on

the outside of the egg, not the inside, and

alcohol is going to kill it anyway.

Some bartenders swear by the dry-

shake (without ice) for egg cocktails.

 What’s your position?

I always dry shake with egg white, but

with whole egg, it’s not as important. I’ve

done it with and without the coil from my

strainer in the drink, and I don’t notice a

huge difference.

Do certain spirits work better when

combined with whole eggs versus

 whites?

There aren’t really any no-nos. Egg

whites go well with lighter spirits—pis-

cos, gins and light rums. Whole eggs and

egg yolks tend towards darker spirits,

though a whiskey sour is amazing with

egg white. One of my favorite things is to

pair eggs with amaro—like a Cynar flip.

Take Cynar, a whole egg, shake it, add ice

and shake it again. Instead of having the

flavors on your tongue for five seconds,

now it lasts for 20 to 30 seconds as the fat

dissolves off your palate, so you can taste

more of the nuances in the spirit.

 What other tips do you have for mix-

ing with eggs?

Make sure there’s only egg white and

no yolk. Whenever you make a soufflé,

you have to separate the egg whites and

the egg yolk—if a drop of egg yolk gets

in, you have to start again. It’s the same

with a cocktail. When you dry shake, the

proteins in the egg whites are expanding.

If you get fat in there, the structure can’t

support itself and falls apart.

 Are there any storage concerns with

eggs behind the bar?

We have to be diligent with our staff

to make sure we keep a constant rota-

tion. They always have to stay

refrigerated. Don’t pre-batch

them in advance. When you use

fresh eggs and the water isn’t

separating out of the egg whites,

you get a better product, a more

consistent product than when

you pre-batch it.

 What is your favorite egg

cocktail?

A pisco sour has always been one of

my favorites. The egg isn’t adding any

flavor to the cocktail—it’s a vessel to de-

liver flavor. The egg changes the way you

perceive the flavor. With whole eggs, it’s a

bit harder to come up with cocktails. It’s

not called for a lot, probably because of

customer fear or the weather (you don’t

want to drink that in the summer). We

have a cocktail at Barrelhouse created

by Greg Buttera that has one whole egg

and yolk, which is basically the greatest,

creamiest milkshake you’ve ever had in

your life.

IT UPShaking

STEPHEN COLE CRACKS THE CODE ON EGGS IN COCKTAILS

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE

Go to plateonline.

com to see Stephen

Cole of Lone Wolf

in Chicago get

crackin’ behind

the bar with his

girolamo sour.

by  theglass

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  70 3/19/14 2:30 PM