I know everyone must be wondering when the new site will be up. Well, we’re (and by that I mean Sean) is working on it. We want it to be all nice and shiny, well at least working properly, before we unveil it. We’re going to have some pretty nifty features that will be new and I think you will enjoy them.
I thought about saving this post for the new site, but decided I really wanted to start the discussion rolling as soon as possible. I wanted to tell y’all a story about something I noticed a few weeks ago when I went to a bar in the DC area. This bar has a great menu of food (gastropub-esque cuisine) and a fantastic wine menu. They also have a pretty decent bar. I have eaten and had a few libations there over the course of the last several months and have generally enjoyed it. On one of my visits I even asked for a Sazerac and was pleasantly surprised to find that the bartender knew what it was and said it was one of his favorites. This was followed by a nice discussion about cocktails. To be fair, that was also the last time a bartender there new how to make, or even heard of, a Sazerac.Â
Anyway, the bar has been upgrading their cocktail list to some pretty nifty stuff. Using a lot more rye whiskeys, new liqueurs (St. Germain), using fresh juices and very balanced and creative cocktails. They put their cocktail menu in chalk above the bar and also have printed menus for tables. The chalk board and menu provide the name of the cocktail followed by the ingredients.
On one fateful friday evening I went with a few friends including my esteemed co-Scofflaw for some drinks.  I made my way to the bar to place an order for myself and our buddy Roy, who wanted a Plymouth Gin and tonic. I asked the bartender for a Plymouth G&T and a Sazerac. At first she looked at me like I just spoke mandarin chinese and said they didn’t have Plymouth. Ummmm . . . okay . . . that seems like a pretty standard gin to me, but maybe they get a better deal on another kind of london dry gin. So I ask for Hendrick’s in the G&T because I know they have it and it is tasty.  The bartender then asks what the other drink I wanted and after hearing ”Sazerac” asks what that is. Now it’s pretty busy and the bartenders are doing a hell of a lot of business so I didn’t want to monopolize her time and just ordered one of their cocktails from the menu. The Sazerac would have to wait until I got home. The cocktail I ordered was delicious – balanced, sweet, tart, and a nice spiciness from the rye. It also had a nice thick white foam on the top – a foam that lasted the entire time it took to finish the cocktail. And the mouth-feel was very creamy and silky.  Hmmmm . . . I I think this drink contains egg white!
So Sean orders one and takes a drink and confirms that there does seem to be egg white in the drink. Unfortunately, neither one of us bothered to watch the drink being made so we couldn’t confirm this. What to do? Oder another of course!!!
This time we watch the bartender like chicken hawks ready to swoop down on unsuspecting flightless wiener dogs . . . or something. Anyway, we see the bartender puring all the ingredients in the mixing tin and then pulls out a squeeze bottle of some mysterious nature. She puts a few healthy squirts from the squeeze bottle in the mixing tin, pours in some ice and gives it a really good shake. Pours in a chilled cocktail glass and serves. But Sean and I believe that egg white, either the pasteurized powdered kind reconstituted with water or fresh, was contained in the mysterious squeeze bottle.
Here is where y’all come in:
1)  From my description, do you think it could have been anything else other than egg white? What else could have created that foam?
2) Assuming this was egg white in the drink, shouldn’t the bar include this in the ingredients listed for the cocktail? Do they have a moral/ethical/health reason to do so? Â
I’m anxious to hear y’alls thoughts. Â
Cheers!
