Egg Yolk
Used to add rich body and color, most notably in Flip-style cocktails.
Origin
Wherever poultry has been domesticated; using just the yolk (rather than the whole egg) developed as bartenders separated its richness from the white's foaming effect.
History
Egg yolk's specific role, adding fat and richness without the white's foam, shows up most classically in flip cocktails (spirit, sugar, and a whole egg or yolk, shaken and served without ice), a style dating back to colonial-era drinks and revived as a distinct technique during the craft cocktail movement. It gives a drink a custardy, dessert-like body that a whole egg's added foam can sometimes work against in certain recipes.
Flavor profile
Rich and mildly savory-sweet, contributing fat and body more than a pronounced flavor.
Tasting notes
Egg yolk shaken into a drink creates a dense, velvety, custard-like texture without much foam, working especially well in flips and other dessert-adjacent cocktails that want richness above all else.
Substitutes
- Cream, for a different but comparably rich, non-foaming texture.
- Pasteurized liquid egg yolk, for the same effect with reduced raw-egg food-safety concerns.
- A whole egg, understanding it will also add foam the yolk alone wouldn't.
