Luscious and foamy, egg white cocktails are beloved for their creamy texture. Traditionally shaken into cocktails in the sour family, egg whites can soften a build’s more acidic ingredients and imbue a more velvety mouthfeel. But tastiness aside, egg white cocktails also have the potential to up your macros for the day. To learn more about the protein levels in egg white cocktails, VinePair spoke with Dr. Dervan Bryan, assistant professor of poultry science at Penn State.
Dr. Bryan explains that egg white cocktails do contain more protein than non-egg white builds, as long as the latter doesn’t contain another functional protein. When juxtaposed with classics like the Old Fashioned and the Margarita, an egg white cocktail will likely have an additional 3.6 grams of protein. Builds that contain a whole egg, like the Death Flip or a Strawberry Mezcal Flip, will contain even more.
It turns out that technique plays an important role in reaping the benefits of these whites. While alcohol stabilizes the egg white and kills any harmful bacteria during the shaking process — thus making it safe to consume — it doesn’t kill any of the protein. Instead, the booze and rigorous shaking alter the complex molecule, allowing the drink to take on that eye-grabbing, puffed-up head.
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“The egg albumen protein forms a very stable foam with the air inside the container during shaking,” Dr. Bryan explains. “When air is incorporated into the protein molecules in egg whites, the proteins stretch and unwind to form an elastic web encasing air bubbles.” He says that egg whites can actually expand up to eight times their volume, which is what gives these cocktails their signature foaminess. It’s within this foam layer where the majority of the protein resides, which will leech into the cocktail itself the longer the drink sits.
“Egg is the only natural food which has such powder foaming functional properties,” he says. “This foam can outlast any cocktail conversation, has a density that’s easily controlled, and will maintain its functionality in both hot and cold environments.”
While swapping post-run smoothies for Clover Clubs might not be in our future, a little extra sustenance on a night out certainly doesn’t hurt.
*Image retrieved from MONIUK ANDRII – stock.adobe.com