The Dry Shake: Mastering Egg White Cocktails

The Dry Shake is the secret behind the pillowy foam cap on a Pisco Sour, New York Sour, Boston Sour, or Ramos Gin Fizz. Without it, egg white simply floats on top of the drink as a thin, unintegrated layer. With it, you get a stable, creamy, aromatic foam that completely transforms the drinking experience.

The Science of Emulsification

Egg white consists primarily of water and proteins — mainly ovalbumin and ovomucin. These proteins have hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (fat/air-attracting) ends. When mechanically agitated, they unfold and align at the interface between liquid and air, trapping air bubbles and forming a stable foam network.

Ice in a shaker does two things that work against emulsification: it cools the liquid (cold proteins are less flexible and foam less readily) and it adds water (which dilutes the protein concentration, weakening the foam structure). The dry shake removes both obstacles.

Why Dry First, Wet Second

By shaking without ice first, you agitate the egg white proteins at room temperature — or close to it — where they are most mobile and capable of unfolding. The resulting pre-emulsified foam is then set and chilled in the subsequent wet shake with ice. This two-stage approach consistently produces more stable, tighter foam than a single wet shake alone.

Standard Dry Shake Technique

Step 1: Dry Shake

Add all ingredients except ice to your shaker: spirits, citrus, sweetener, and egg white. Seal the shaker tightly — a dry shake with no ice creates more pressure than a wet shake because there is no ice mass to absorb the impact. Use a firm double-seal for a Boston shaker.

Shake as hard as you can for 15–20 seconds. You will hear a wet, sloshing sound rather than the rattling of ice. Your arms will tire. This is normal and necessary.

Step 2: Wet Shake

Open the shaker carefully — the seal may be tighter than expected due to the pressure differential. Add ice, reseal, and shake hard for another 12–15 seconds. The ice chills and dilutes the pre-emulsified mixture. Strain through a Hawthorne Strainer — no fine-mesh needed, as the foam should hold together.

Step 3: Strain and Rest

Double straining is optional. Pour into a chilled Coupe Glass and wait 30 seconds before serving. The foam will continue to tighten and rise slightly as residual carbonation escapes. This rest produces a taller, more defined foam cap.

The Reverse Dry Shake

The reverse dry shake, popularized by bartenders in the late 2000s, flips the order: wet shake first, then dry shake second without ice.

Why Reverse Works

Many bartenders argue that the reverse dry shake produces a more stable, tighter foam because: 1. The wet shake chills and dilutes the cocktail first, reducing the alcohol content that can denature protein structure. 2. The final dry shake is performed on a cold, already-integrated liquid, allowing the proteins to foam without interference from the initial mixing turbulence.

The Technique

1. Add all ingredients and ice. Wet shake for 12–15 seconds.
2. Strain into the empty half of the shaker or a spare tin, discarding the ice.
3. Dry shake the strained liquid for 15–20 seconds.
4. Pour directly into the glass — no additional straining needed.

Both methods produce excellent results. Try both and use whichever gives you better consistency.

Aquafaba: The Vegan Alternative

Aquafaba — the liquid from a can of chickpeas — contains proteins, saponins, and starches that mimic the foaming properties of egg white remarkably well. It is fully vegan and has a neutral enough flavor to work in almost any egg-white cocktail.

Ratios

Substitute aquafaba 1:1 by volume for egg white. A standard cocktail uses approximately 25–30 ml of egg white; use the same amount of aquafaba. The foam produced is slightly less stable and slightly more opaque than egg white foam, but in a coupe glass it is nearly indistinguishable.

Technique Adjustment

Aquafaba requires a longer dry shake — 25–30 seconds — because its protein structures are somewhat weaker than egg white. Some bartenders add a small amount of xanthan gum (a pinch per drink) to improve stability, though this is not necessary for service within 5–10 minutes.

Troubleshooting

• Foam is thin and watery: The dry shake was not hard enough or long enough. Extend the dry-shake phase by 10 seconds.
• Foam dissolves immediately: The glass was not chilled. Always use a frozen coupe.
• Foam tastes eggy: Use very fresh eggs. A slight egg aroma is normal in the foam cap but should not be dominant.
• Shaker seal fails during dry shake: Secure the seal with both hands — one palm on each end — and shake at slightly lower intensity until the proteins begin to foam, which provides cushioning.

The Mouthfeel improvement from a proper dry shake is immediate and dramatic. Once you taste a correctly made Gin Sour with a proper foam cap, you will never skip the dry shake again.