One of my favorite aspects of our admittedly mild Texas winters is all the cocktailing opportunities that come along with the change in temperature. People are feeling festive, and drinks play a central role in the rituals of the season: out come the ice buckets and punch bowls, along with the “good stuff” to put in them, and folks who don’t usually bartend at home are inspired to both experiment with new techniques and revisit old classics.
And, for a brief moment, we can drink the decadent things that seem too indulgent the rest of the year, like eggnog. It is, of course, one of the hallmarks of the holidays, but I would like to turn our focus to a different egg cocktail, the flip. Although there is a flip for all kinds of weather, its composition lends itself particularly well to fall and winter drinking. A flip usually consists of a base spirit, a bit of liqueur for sweetness and flavor, and a whole egg—this last ingredient being essential. There are many drinks, like fizzes and sours, that include the white of the egg; the inclusion of the whole egg imparts a rich, velvety creaminess that is hard to achieve any other way.
At Austin’s Drink.Well, there is a flip on the winter drink menu that is aptly named Save Room; flips are by their nature a bit filling, and they usually fall into the dessert category. Created by bartender John Enriquez, it starts with VSOP cognac as its base, which is sweetened with orgeat, the French-style almond cordial, and ancho chile and coffee liqueurs. It is a drink well worth scheduling time, and saving room, for.
Equipment
- 1 shaker
- 1 bar strainer
Ingredients
- 1 whole egg
- 1½ ounces Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
- ½ ounce orgeat
- ½ ounce St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur
- ¼ ounce Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
Directions
- Dry-shake ingredients (without ice).
- Add ice and shake vigorously to emulsify.
- Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a snifter. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon and chile powder.
