The boy and his poison: ‘Left-over’ Gin Sour

Excuses are a fantastic motivation for experimentation. At some point late on Wednesday there was a shout from the kitchen along the lines of "I have 8 egg whites going spare if you want them, otherwise they get binned". Cue a comical looking Nick running into the kitchen to rescue the base of six incredible gin sours.

I first stumbled on this twist on a classic when attending a sour masterclass at the Southbank's Skylon bar. Easily the biggest take out I got from my hour with the bartender was that its the small things you add, those personal flourishes that will make a drink your own, so I thought I’d pass on his tips and open up a world of delicious sours to you. Take the recipe below and experiment with the sweetening agent, booze and flavourings, at the very least its a great way to get through egg whites.

You'll need:

• 2oz Gin
• 1oz Lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• 0.5oz elderflower cordial or sugar syrup (a few heavy slugs)

Then shake:

• Pour the ingredients into a shaker and dry shake for a few seconds (this is to properly combine the egg white with the other ingredients)
• Add ice to the shaker and continue to shake for 10 seconds
• Pour into a cocktail glass until 2/3 full, take the top off of the shaker and then spoon some of the delicious foam into the glass. 

Another incredible flavour combination is to swap out the gin for single-malt scotch and try a dash of absinthe in the sugar syrup. Trust me it’s delicious.