Pat writes: My wife loves a whiskey sour with egg whites served “up” in a coupe glass. She persistently orders them from bartenders who aren’t familiar with this classic cocktail, leaving everyone disappointed. She says it’s not a big deal to ask. I seek an injunction ordering her to stop.
There are a number of historical sours, flips and fizzes that are shaken with egg whites to produce lightness, froth and foam. But though I used to write about nonwine alcohol professionally, I learned only today that a whiskey sour with egg whites is, in fact, a Boston sour (which I thought was a half-bottle of warm Sam Adams left on a curb outside Fenway). In any case, it’s fairly advanced mixology, and some requests should be made only when you already know the answer. An old-timey 2000s-style craft-cocktail bar with a menu full of pre-Prohibition drinks is fair game for raw eggs. Ask for one at a dive or an airport lounge, and the only thing likely to get frothy is your annoyed bartender.
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