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Health & Safety
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about your mother’s concerns. She’s right – after all, an egg white cocktail has never seen a frying pan and is certainly being served raw. So how can that be safe? The short answer is, using raw egg whites is a risk.
Just like eating steak tartare or eggs Benedict, any undercooked food brings some risk. But by carefully ensuring you are working with fresh, clean eggs, you can drastically reduce the risk.
- When serving raw eggs, always ensure the eggs are clean and fresh. If you don’t know how old they are or where they came from, they should probably go in a scramble, and not a Pisco Sour!
- Cocktails with raw eggs should always include both citrus and alcohol, which both act as sterilizers.
By the way: It should go without saying, but remember that you should always inform your customer if raw egg is present.
Not only is it just common decency, but it’s an ingredient that non-cocktail-nerds may not know is even an option – so they may not think to inform you of an allergy or other condition that prevents them from safely enjoying their raw egg whites.
There are lots of ways to do this – from explicitly mentioning it on the cocktail menu to quickly asking the customer when they place their order.
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You may also be legally obligated: Depending on your local health department, you may be required to also inform them of the potential health risks of consuming uncooked eggs. To be sure, check with your local health department or with your restaurant’s chef, who may also know.
Of course, if you’re still not feeling like you want to take the risk, scroll down to the “Egg White Alternatives” section below for a few other options.
