Fresh Ingredients

Egg White

The clear part of a hen’s egg, used in sours for foam and texture rather than flavour. Our standard measure is 15ml, about half a white, given 10 to 15 seconds of dry shaking, then a second shake with ice. Following the Food Standards Agency, British Lion-mark eggs are safe raw, pregnancy included; pasteurised carton white is the alternative.

Quick Facts

ABV0%

Legal categoryFood

OriginGlobal

Flavour Strengthlight

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeShell eggs: to the date on the box. Carton egg white: three to five days refrigerated once opened, or as the carton says.

Storage

Shell eggs refrigerated in the box. Carton egg white refrigerated, and used as the carton says once opened.

Allergens

Contains: eggs.

The ingredient

About Egg White

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Neutral

Tasting Notes

Virtually flavourless. Contributes a creamy mouthfeel and stable foam that carries aromatic oils from expressed citrus peels.

Foam, not flavour

An egg white is mostly water with about a tenth protein. Shaking unfolds those proteins around air bubbles and holds them there, so a sour gains a soft head, a rounder texture and a surface that keeps citrus oil and bitters where the nose meets them. It adds almost nothing to taste.

Our measure is 15ml, about half a white

Fifteen millilitres builds a full foam in a single sour without dulling the lemon, and it is the measure in the Whiskey Sour, Clover Club, Honey Sour and most of the family. Where the IBA lists one white, our recipe keeps it as one, about 30ml: the Pisco Sour and the Ramos Gin Fizz. Where the IBA asks for a few drops, as in the Illegal and the New York Sour, the drops give silk rather than a head.

Shell white, carton white and aquafaba

Lion-mark shell egg

Measure for our sours: 15ml, about half a white
Raw-egg question: Safe raw, per the FSA
Allergen: Egg
Keeps: To the box date, refrigerated

Pasteurised carton white

Measure for our sours: 15ml
Raw-egg question: Pasteurised
Allergen: Egg
Keeps: As the carton says once opened

Aquafaba

Measure for our sours: 15ml
Raw-egg question: None: no egg
Allergen: None of the 14
Keeps: A few days refrigerated

Option	Measure for our sours	Raw-egg question	Allergen	Keeps
Lion-mark shell egg	15ml, about half a white	Safe raw, per the FSA	Egg	To the box date, refrigerated
Pasteurised carton white	15ml	Pasteurised	Egg	As the carton says once opened
Aquafaba	15ml	None: no egg	None of the 14	A few days refrigerated

Dry shake, then shake with ice

Shake the drink without ice for 10 to 15 seconds, until it thickens and pales. Add cubed ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, then double strain into the glass. Ice in the first shake chills and dilutes before the foam has formed, which gives a thin collar instead of a head.

Raw egg and the Lion mark

Following the Food Standards Agency, eggs with the British Lion mark are safe to eat raw or lightly cooked, including for vulnerable groups and in pregnancy. Pasteurised egg white in a carton is the alternative. The advice does not cover anyone severely immunocompromised on a medically supervised diet. Eating out, where the mark cannot be checked, the FSA advises vulnerable people to have their eggs thoroughly cooked. The allergen line is a separate matter: every white, Lion-mark or carton, is egg.

Using it

Using Egg White

Usage

Use 15ml, about half a white, in a sour: dry shake for 10 to 15 seconds, then add ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, and double strain. IBA recipes that list one white keep the IBA measure, about 30ml.

Pro Tip

Dot bitters on the foam once it has settled for a few seconds, not straight after straining. A settled foam holds the drops where they land.

Top Tips

Measure the white rather than guessing. A whole large white can double the foam and dull the citrus.
Shake without ice first. Then add ice and shake again to chill and dilute.
Double strain an egg-white sour so shell fragments and stray strands stay in the strainer.
Wash the tin after a cream drink. Fat left behind flattens the foam.

Possible Substitutions

Production Method

Separated from whole eggs during processing or cracked fresh at point of use. Commercial liquid egg whites are pasteurised to ensure safety.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Is raw egg white in cocktails safe?

How much egg white goes in a cocktail?

Our standard is 15ml, about roughly half of a medium egg’s white, which gives a full foam without muting the citrus. Where an IBA recipe lists one white, as the Pisco Sour does, we keep it at about 30ml; where the IBA wants only a few drops, we keep the few drops.

What is a dry shake?

Shaking the drink without ice first, for 10 to 15 seconds, so the white foams before anything chills it. Then add cubed ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds to chill and dilute. Double strain into the glass so the foam arrives smooth.

Can I use egg white from a carton?

Yes. Pasteurised liquid egg white pours to a measure and is the route GOV.UK guidance gives for food that will not be cooked. It foams a little less readily than a fresh white, so shake it hard. Once opened, use it within the days the carton gives.

What can I use instead of egg white?

Aquafaba, the cooking water drained from tinned chickpeas, is the vegan swap: about 30ml replaces a medium white, so 15ml matches our standard measure. Dry shake it the same way. It has a faint savoury note that citrus covers in a sour.

Does egg white make a cocktail taste of egg?

A fresh white adds almost no flavour. A smell of egg on the foam usually means too much white for the drink or an older egg, so measure 15ml and use eggs within date. A twist expressed over the foam also helps.

Is egg white an allergen?

Yes. Egg is among the 14 allergens Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 makes labels name, whether the white is from a shell, a carton or a Lion-mark egg. Make the drink without it, or with aquafaba, for anyone allergic. That is separate from the raw-egg question.

Which cocktails use egg white?

Twenty-six of ours, almost all sours: the Whiskey Sour, Pisco Sour, Amaretto Sour, Honey Sour, Clover Club and Tiki Sour among them. In many it is optional, and the drink without it is sharper and thinner but still correct.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (retained)” (the 14 declarable allergens).

From the Guides

Shaking egg white, and the dry shake Allergens in liqueurs: reading the label

Make something

Made with Egg White

Featured In These Cocktails

Honey Sour Amaretto Sour Tiki Sour Whiskey Sour Pisco Sour Clover Club

Show all 26 cocktails

Often Used With

Updated 18 October 2026

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