There Are Only Six Cocktails (Part 6) - The Flip

A few months ago, we were inspired to embark on a boozy journey through Cocktail Codex’s six master cocktails.

Starting with the Old Fashioned, all high-backed-chairs-and-gentleman’s-club-vibes, we moved on to the iconic martini, the spiced-rum of the daiquiri and took a sip of the citrusy sidecar, before savouring the boozy whiskey highball.

And we’ve made it to the final instalment.

Things are about to get a little bit decadent as we indulge in the dairy-filled Flip.

Now, many of these cocktails contain raw eggs, milk, and cream, so proceed with caution and use only the freshest quality ingredients you can get! 

Disclaimer over.

So what exactly is a Flip? It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue in the same way that a martini or a highball does, but you’re bound to have seen them on cocktail menus the world over.

And who among us hasn’t partaken of seasonal eggnog or two at the Christmas party?

We’ll come on to talk about nogs in a little while, but let’s start at the beginning with the standard Flip.

This is one of the oldest drinks around, dating back to the 1600s. Beer was mixed with rum and sugar and heated with a rather novel method—plunging an iron poker recently removed from the fire—into your glass. Although the glass was more likely a goblet (and if goblets are your thing, check out our newest product, the goblet-inspired Kensington Gin Set!). And, as anything would when a red-hot poker was stuck into it, the drink “Flipped” (bubbled and boiled violently).

And the name stuck.

In time, the beer was discarded, the drink was cooled down, and someone cracked an egg into it. 

The modern Flip was born.

The Classic: Flip

• 50 ml sherry, brandy, rum, port (the choice is yours!)
• 2 tsp demerara sugar
• 1 egg
• Garnish with grated nutmeg

The How 

Add the spirit, sugar, and crack an egg into your Rusty Barrel Cocktail Shaker, and shake for 8-10 seconds.

Half fill the bottom tin with ice and shake the cocktail again.

This double shaking is crucial to get the egg to emulsify and make a rich and creamy drink.

Strain the cocktail through the Hawthorn strainer into a chilled coupe glass. 

(If you have a tea-strainer, it’s often worth double-straining the Flip due to all that shaking breaking off ice crystals. You want this cocktail to be silky smooth)

Grate nutmeg over the top, sip and enjoy.

Another Classic: White Russian

• 50 ml Vodka (hence the “Russian”—other vodkas are available)
• 25 ml Kahlúa
• 25 ml single cream
• Garnish with 3 coffee beans

The How

No shaking involved!

Pour the vodka and Kahlúa over ice into an Old Fashioned glass. Slowly layer the single cream on top and garnish with 3 coffee beans.

A final Classic: The Piña Colada—the Flip’s tropical cousin

• 50 ml white rum
• 50 ml coconut cream
• 100 ml pineapple juice
• Garnish with a wedge of pineapple

The How

Put it all into your Rusty Barrel Cocktail Shaker with a few ice cubes and shake vigorously for 8-10 seconds.

Pour it over crushed ice into a chilled glass, hollowed-out pineapple, or an empty coconut shell and dream of holidays.

The Curveball: Irish Coffee

• 50 ml double cream
• 50 ml Jameson Whiskey
• 1 tsp demerara sugar
• 150 ml freshly brewed black coffee

The How

Warm a coffee mug or glass with boiling water.

Whip the double cream until soft peaks form. 

Pour out the water from your glass and pour in the whiskey. Stir in the sugar until it has dissolved, and pour in the coffee.

Gently spoon the whipped cream on top, and get ready for the warming glow.

The Festive Classic

It’s Nog time! If you’re feeling festive, it’s time to make the classic eggnog—a nog is a Flip with added cream (you may also know it by the name Posset).

Traditionally, an Eggnog starts with a custard base and then mixing it with the other ingredients, but if you haven’t got time for that, here’s a cocktail shaker version. 

Much more up our street!

The How

• 25 ml dark rum
• 25 ml cognac
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tsp demerara sugar
• 25 ml double cream
• 1 egg
• Garnish with cinnamon and nutmeg

Shake the ingredients in an empty Rusty Barrel Cocktail Shaker and shake for 8-10 seconds. 

Add ice and shake again.

Strain through your Hawthorn shaker into a chilled Old Fashioned glass and garnish with a few grates of cinnamon and nutmeg.

So there you have it—the six cocktails that rule them all.

We hope you enjoy mixing and shaking them up, and be sure to let us know your favourite.

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