Briefly Noted: Don't Flip Out
Beat a raw egg white into a citrusy cocktail and you get a meringue-like effect, frothy and delicious. The resulting beverage—technically classified as a flip or fizz—is irresistible, not only to the connoisseurs who are fueling America's cocktail renaissance but also to the food cops.
On January 19, one of New York's cocktail hot spots, the Pegu Club, got in trouble with city health department officials for serving such a drink. Despite warnings printed on the menu, and although raw egg whites were listed in the ingredients, the health inspector busted a bartender for failing to verbally inform a customer of the risky ingredient. You can see a short documentary about the case at reason.tv/cocktail. But here's the short version: The bar yanked the Earl Grey MarTEAni from the menu, restoring it only after the health department backed off its threat of serious penalties and a court summons. —Katherine Mangu-Ward