The combination of eggs and alcohol has a long history dating back to at least the Middle Ages in Europe. During the Golden Age of cocktails which lasted from the 1860s through the 1920s (ending with Prohibition in the United States) bartenders would incorporate raw egg whites into a variety of fizzy drinks and sours that are still enjoyed today. But it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that French chef Joël Roessel and a group of other foodies came up with an amazing vegan egg white replacement. It’s called aquafaba and it’s the liquid that canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are packaged in.
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3 Aquafaba Options! | Egg White Substitute!
Roessel originally used aquafaba to make meringue but it’s now also used to make deliciously frothy cocktails. So whether you’re vegan or just hate raw eggs in your cocktail try using aquafaba instead of egg whites when making your next gin fizz or whiskey sour. It’s a super easy ingredient to try (as long as you get the proportions right) with some fascinating science behind it.
Egg whites are added to certain cocktails (particularly shaken drinks) to give them body as well as a nice head of foam that lingers as you sip the drink. Aquafaba works so well as an egg white replacement because its proteins and carbohydrates are similar allowing it to trap air and create an airy texture resulting in a similar head of foam that can maintain its integrity. Because of this aquafaba also makes a great vegan meringue and can replace egg whites in other baked goods — from macarons to donuts — making it an easy egg replacement that every baker should know.
Worried your drink will taste like chickpeas? Aquafaba actually has very little flavor that could change the flavor profile of your cocktail and any beany notes usually disappear completely when you shake it. This makes it the perfect ingredient replacement for drinks with subtle flavors. The great thing about aquafaba is that you don’t really have to do anything special to make it. It can be substituted directly into drinks like the New York Sour that bold layered cousin of the whiskey sour as well as pisco sours vodka fizzes and even eggnog.
