When I went to bed on Tuesday night, I was quite skeptical of the impending blizzard. I’d been let down too many times before.
There were no snow days for me last winter. Only an abundance of disappointment, and ubiquitous #snowpocalypse hashtags. Forecasts time and time again convinced us Somerville would soon be blanketed by untold inches of snow yet were consistently wrong.
This winter has really come through, though. And so as Wednesday brought our second snow day of the season, I decided to honor it with a cocktail. There’s nothing better than putting on a pair of warm socks, bundling up in a sweater, and sitting by the window to watch the snow collect while sipping a delicious, snowy libation. After all, if you’re snowed in, it’s definitely time for a drink.
Wading through the slushy streets, I headed to Dave’s Fresh Pasta to pick up local eggs and New England maple syrup, ideal for both a snow day breakfast of French toast and for making an exceptional wintry drink. For this flip, I combined the maple syrup with a bit of bourbon, rounded it off with vermouth, and shook it all up with an egg to give it a light, frothy texture – as reminiscent of snow as you’re going to get in a cocktail.
You may be saying, An egg?! But bear with me. Egg drinks were quite popular in the early days of mixology – ever heard of egg nog? Sadly, in these modern times of raw egg squeamishness, flips don’t get the attention they deserve. Yet raw eggs are rarely the silent killers that your mom taught you they were. If you’re really worried, buy pasteurized eggs. In any case, flips and other egg drinks are widely available at reputable bars around town and are definitely worth a try. They are delicious, of course, but also fun and a little bit special, just like a snow day.
Here’s how to make this Snow Day Flip:
SNOW DAY FLIP
1 ½ oz. Bourbon
¾ oz. Punt e Mes
½ oz. Maple Syrup
1 dash of bitters
1 egg
grated nutmeg
To begin, you’ll need a shaker tin, a mixing glass, and a strainer. A jigger might help too.
- Add bourbon to your mixing glass. I used Four Roses.
- Add the Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth.
- Add maple syrup.
- Add a dash of bitters. Angostura works well.
- Crack the egg into the glass. Avoid getting any shell in there, because shell is not tasty.
- Add a handful of ice to your glass. You can give the thing a big shake before you do this, if you want to be all scientific about it – the egg mixes with the alcohol better at a warmer temperature – but I’m lazy. I only shake once, with ice.
- Pop the tin on top of the glass at a little bit of an angle and hit it with the heel of your hand to get it to lock in. You’re going to be doing a lot of shaking, so you want to make sure it’s on there tight.
- Holding onto both ends of your contraption, shake vigorously up and down for several minutes. No… like really vigorously. More vigorously than you even knew you could. In fact, it helps to have a friend with strong arms or several friends, so you can make a shaking circle and pass the shaker around. Beware of the frost that will form on the shaker; your hands are going to get cold, but I promise you all this suffering is worth it.
- Once you really can’t shake any more, put the shaker down with its contents in the mixing glass.
- Grab your strainer and stick it on top of the glass, so that it’s blocking the ice from pouring out. Pour into your fanciest cocktail glass.
- Last step: grate a little bit of whole nutmeg on top. It’ll take things to a new level.
- Sip and enjoy! Warm socks recommended.
