Snow Squall
The template for a sour-style cocktail like this one – booze, sour, sweet – can take you many places. Adding an egg white smooths the journey. But getting that good froth on top was trickier than I thought. Many recipes instruct you to first dry shake (without ice) to achieve the foam. I tried dry shaking just the egg white before adding the other ingredients, but the foam was weak; it needed its drinking buddies. Adding in the booze, citrus, and simple syrup gave me a better foam, but some liquid leaked out of the shaker which bummed me out and made a mess. Then I read that using only one ice cube during the otherwise dry shake chills the contents just enough to create a suction which stopped the leaking and avoided too much dilution. That single cube allowed me to dry shake for longer, giving me that silky finish I was looking for. The result is like gliding through a pine forest in the freshly fallen snow while sucking on a Lemonhead.
Makes 1 drink
+ 1 ½ ounces gin
+ ¾ ounce Zirbenz stone pine liqueur
+ 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
+ 1 ounce lemon verbena or lemon simple syrup (see below)
+ 1 large egg white
+ Ice
+ Angostura bitters
Shake the gin, Zirbenz, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and 1 ice cube until thick and frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more ice and shake to chill, another 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled coup. Dot the foam with bitters.
Lemon Verbena or Lemon Simple Syrup:
Combine ¼ cup water, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ cup fresh lemon verbena or peels from 1 lemon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, gently swirling the pan. Let cool completely. Discard the herbs or peels and strain into a small jar. Store in the fridge.
