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Using Burrata Water in Place of Egg Whites in Cocktails

Last week I received a pitch about the cocktails at Oxalis in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. One drink ingredient stood out to me: 

Breakfast Martini, inspired by the classic cocktail and exclusively offered during brunch, this frothy cocktail features burrata water instead of egg white and gomme syrup instead of orange marmalade, in addition to bergamot, gin and citrus.

Burrata Water!

Oxalis - Breakfast Martini - Heidi's Bridge

Lately bartenders' attentions are turning to egg white alternatives for cocktails, from aquafaba (chick pea water) to quillaja soap bark foamer to high-tech products with thickeners and emulsifiers. Burrata water would be another second-use ingredient

Oxalis' Beverage Director Piper Kristensen previously worked at Booker & Dax and Bearded Lady before joining Oxalis, which originally launched as a pop-up dinner series in 2016. I sent Kristensen some questions. 

 

Was the burrata water an original idea or did you see it elsewhere first? I hadn't heard of this previously.
  • We have been using whey to boost texture for a while. I don't know of anyone using burrata water now, but I think it's statistically impossible for me to have been the first to think of it. 
What is the quantity of burrata water needed to replace egg white? So I guess what's one drink's portion? 
  • We add 1 oz per drink. I tried 3/4oz- wasn't enough.
Where do you get the burrata water? Is it housemade at the restaurant or is the burrata purchased? (I'm wondering if it matters how fresh the water is or if people can use store-bought stuff.)
  • We have a duck purveyor named John Fazio who makes the absolute best burrata we've ever had. I've never tried making the drink with grocery store burrata. I assume it would work. The burrata has to be in the water long enough to equilibrate, and the burrata at my local has been in there for a while.
Is burrata water about the same amount of frothy as using egg white? 
  • For sure. We goofed around with an eggless ramos and got decent stove-pipe. What I like most about it is that it doesn't break down where the surface of the drink meets the foam, like an egg white. There's a clinical line. 
Does it have a flavor? 
  • We introduced it to make a dirty martini because it's got great salinity and a pleasant hint of milk, but the high alcohol system denatured the proteins like egg drop soup. That flavor marries nicely with citrus in a sour. It's not a strong flavor, but it's distinct. 

 

Cool idea! I may give it a try myself. 

 

Comments

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Jason Sorge

This is a super interesting and very cool idea. Love it. I've been using Aquafaba

Jason Sorge

This is a super interesting and a neat idea. Love it. I've been using Aquafaba in all of our bar program's egg white cocktails with much success but I am intrigued by this concept. My mind is spinning and I can already picture a few great uses for for it. Thank you so much for sharing!

Sire

Did I miss something? What is burrata water actually made from? I saw something about a duck purveyor but quite get it.

Camper English

Yeah I'm not sure what the connection is to ducks - maybe they make burrata for something else. In any case, the cheese water is probably full of whey, which makes a nice froth whether you get it from cheese water or from the can.

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