Summary: There are cocktails, such as the Ramos Gin Fizz, which include egg white in order to create a foamy head. Several drinks at the famous Pegu Club in New York make use of an egg white, and this is where the “dry-shake” began to be used as a more efficient way to add this foamy head to their drinks. Typically, egg white drinks need to by shaken a lot longer, and a lot harder, in order to work up a good foam. Chad Solomon, one of the early bartenders at the Pegu Club, had injured his back, and was finding it difficult to properly shake up these drinks, especially using the large Kold-Draft ice cubes that they have. He came up with the idea of putting the spring of a hawthorne strainer into the shaker, without any ice, and shaking it up this way first, then removing the strainer, adding the ice, and shaking it up again to chill everything down. This became known as the “dry-shake”, and quickly spread to other bars in New York, and beyond. The emulsification of an egg works best at room temperature. This is precisely the thought behind the dry-shake and not including any ice for the emulsification and foaming process. You still need to shake for a while, but it is a lot easier without the ice adding extra weight to the shaker.
