Fresh Ingredients

Egg

A hen’s egg used whole in a drink: the white whips into foam and the yolk adds fat and a custard body. In our recipes the whole egg appears once, in the Tom and Jerry, where it is separated, beaten in two bowls and folded back into a batter that holds hot milk. Single parts have their own pages, egg white and egg yolk.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

Flavour Strengthlight

Our keeping timeTo the date on the box, refrigerated.

Storage

Refrigerated, in the box, until needed.

Allergens

Contains: eggs.

The ingredient

About Egg

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

SilkRichnessFoam

Tasting Notes

Nearly flavourless, entirely textural: the white builds foam, the yolk brings custard weight, and together they turn a drink into a flip.

Two ingredients in one shell

The white is mostly water and protein, and shaking or whisking traps air in it as foam. The yolk is fat and lecithin, an emulsifier, which binds liquid and fat into a smooth, custard-like body. A recipe that asks for the whole egg wants both effects; one that names only a part wants only that part, and the two are not interchangeable.

Whole egg, white and yolk in a drink

Whole egg, separated and folded

What it adds: Foam and body together
Measure in our recipes: One egg
Typical drink: Tom and Jerry

Egg white

What it adds: Foam and texture
Measure in our recipes: 15ml, about half a white
Typical drink: Sours

Egg yolk

What it adds: Fat and custard body
Measure in our recipes: 10ml to one yolk
Typical drink: Flips and eggnog

Pasteurised carton egg

What it adds: The same, without the raw-egg question
Measure in our recipes: As for shell egg
Typical drink: Any of these

Part	What it adds	Measure in our recipes	Typical drink
Whole egg, separated and folded	Foam and body together	One egg	Tom and Jerry
Egg white	Foam and texture	15ml, about half a white	Sours
Egg yolk	Fat and custard body	10ml to one yolk	Flips and eggnog
Pasteurised carton egg	The same, without the raw-egg question	As for shell egg	Any of these

The Tom and Jerry is our whole-egg drink

The Tom and Jerry separates one egg, beats the white to soft peaks and whisks the yolk pale with the sugar syrup, then folds the two into a batter. Cognac and dark rum go over it in a warmed mug, and whole milk heated until it steams, never boiled, is poured in slowly so the batter rises into foam. For foam alone see egg white; for richness alone, egg yolk.

Raw egg follows the FSA

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 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. Food safety and allergy are separate questions: a Lion-mark egg is still egg, and anyone allergic to it should go without.

Cold eggs separate cleanly

Keep eggs in the fridge in their box and separate them cold, when the yolk is firm and least likely to break into the white. Crack each one into a cup first. Beat the white in a clean, dry bowl, since any fat, including a streak of yolk, stops it rising, and use separated eggs the same day.

Using it

Using Egg

Usage

One egg per Tom and Jerry: the white beaten to soft peaks, the yolk beaten with the syrup until pale, then folded together and lifted with hot milk. For a drink that wants only foam or only richness, use the separate white or yolk.

Pro Tip

Make the Tom and Jerry batter last and serve it at once. Folded whites start to slump within minutes, and a slumped batter gives a flat drink however hot the milk.

Top Tips

Separate eggs straight from the fridge. A cold yolk holds together and slips away from the white cleanly.
Crack each egg into a cup before it joins the others, so a broken yolk or a bad egg spoils only itself.
Beat the white in a grease-free bowl. A trace of yolk or fat stops it rising.
Look for the lion on the shell before serving an egg raw.

Possible Substitutions

Egg White: alone: foam without richness

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Is it safe to use raw egg in cocktails?

Can I order a drink with raw egg when I am pregnant?

At home, with Lion-mark eggs, the FSA says yes. Eating out, where the mark cannot be checked, the FSA advises vulnerable people to have their eggs thoroughly cooked. That includes a sour or a Tom and Jerry made with raw egg, unless the bar can show the eggs carry the mark or uses pasteurised egg.

Why does the Tom and Jerry separate the egg?

Each half is beaten to its own job. The white goes to soft peaks, the yolk is whisked pale with the sugar syrup, and folding them together makes a light batter. Hot milk poured slowly over it lifts the batter into a foam that sits on the drink.

Does the egg cook in a hot drink?

Not fully. In the Tom and Jerry the milk is heated until it steams but never boiled, and the batter stays raw in the finished drink. Treat it as a raw-egg drink: Lion-mark eggs, or pasteurised egg for anyone who prefers it.

What is the difference between a flip and an eggnog?

A flip is spirit or fortified wine, sugar and egg, shaken and dusted with nutmeg. An eggnog adds milk or cream to the same idea. Both are covered with their yolk-based recipes on the egg yolk page; the whole-egg recipe here is the Tom and Jerry.

How long do eggs keep?

To the date printed on the box, kept in the fridge. Once separated, cover the white and the yolk and use them the same day for drinks. A crack in the shell is a reason to cook that egg rather than serve it raw.

What can I use instead of egg?

For foam, chickpea cooking water, sold as aquafaba, stands in for each white at about 30ml. Nothing plant-based copies the yolk’s custard body. Without the egg a Tom and Jerry is simply hot milk, spirit and spice, which is a different, thinner drink.

Make something

Made with Egg

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Tom and Jerry

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 11 October 2026

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Egg