Gaelic Flip

While eggs are far from uncommon ingredients in cocktails, it’s mostly limited to egg whites in drinks like sours, which help balance those drinks’ sweet and acidic qualities. But the flip is a historic family of drinks that uses the whole egg, along with a spirit and some kind of sweetener, and it’s this simple blueprint that the Gaelic Flip is based on. From Chicago bartender Charles Joly—the founder of Crafthouse Cocktails, a line of bottled cocktails—the drink uses Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth and a mix of allspice liqueur and simple syrup for sweetness. The result is a foamy, rich and silky drink that, when made right, is as stunning to look at as it is to drink.

Joly uses Bushmills in his recipe, a popular brand of Irish whiskey. Affordable and reliable, it is a solid and sumptuous base for the Gaelic Flip. Using other brands like Jamesons, Powers or Tullamore DEW is acceptable as well. However, considering how much the whiskey will get muted with allspice and egg, it’s best to avoid using something too pricey. Instead, save the expensive Irish whiskeys for sipping, or at least use them in a more spirit-forward cocktail like a Tipperary or an Irish Old Fashioned.

Even more so than with an egg white drink, a flip benefits from what’s known in the industry as a dry shake. For that, simply build the cocktail as normal in the shaker, but omit the ice for the time being. After a vigorous shaking to build up the foam, add the ice and shake again until well-chilled, and double strain using a handheld strainer into your awaiting chilled vessel. If properly crafted, the drink should have a thick layer of foam on top, one that will act as a buoyant pillow for the freshly grated nutmeg to rest on.

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