Opalescent – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’

1 part Grenadine

2 parts Lemon Juice 

8 parts Gin 

1 Egg White to each 2 drinks 

Shake with cracked ice. Some recipes call for the addition of a sprig of mint and some call for a teaspoonful of cream to each drink in place of the egg white. Compare the Pink Lady, page 116.

This is actually the recipe I’ve used for a pink Lady for years, if a little heavy on the grenadine, there seems to be a family of three drinks, the pink lady, clover club and now the opalescent.

I’d definitely leave out the mint sprig, and the cream, and stick with the above recipe, it’s a simple gin sour with the addition of grenadine as the sweetener instead of sugar, and what you’re left with is a light fruity sour, with egg white bringing the texture. Its also a base for many other cocktail spinoffs, swap the grenadine for any liqueur or syrup you have lying around, or even some crushed fresh fruit, or a tablespoon of jam and you have a new drink.

I’ve been storing my gin in the freezer and using this and ice at -20 is stopping the egg white from frothing up properly, it seems to chill it too much and this stops the reaction. It also means that there isn’t as much ice melt when you shake or stir so I’ve started adding a little bit of water (about 1 part for the above recipe) to counter this. I’ve also noticed since starting cocktail 365 that the aquafaba we use at the bar froths MUCH better, with finer bubbles and a thicker consistency, the only downside is a slight aroma which dissipates after a short (5-10 seconds) while, or needs to be covered with an atomiser or spice.