Milky Cheese Is The Unexpected Ingredient Your Cocktail Foam Is Missing

Most consider their cocktail's flavor profile, pairing base spirits with liqueurs, citrus, and more. However, the texture of a drink is another characteristic worthy of experimentation. From the frothy egg white in a classic pisco sour to the slushed ice in a frozen margarita, many cocktails are defined by their consistency.

For a new type of textural flourish, consider using a milky cheese in your next drink. This class of dairy products will elevate cocktails thanks to their fat, complex flavor, and mouthfeel. When shaken, ingredients like burrata water create incredible cocktail foam using a protein process analogous to egg whites and aquafaba — and an addition like mascarpone can imbue a touch of tangy and sweet notes in addition to airiness.

That's not to mention the fascinating flavor possibilities. From Mediterranean inspirations that nod to the cloudy essence of ouzo to savory experiments reinterpreting a goat cheese salad, this unexpected ingredient opens the door to many new innovative drinks.

If a cheese addition sounds peculiar, just consider all the other boozy drinks made with dairy. Whether it's the heavy cream in a Ramos gin fizz or the newfound trend of using milk-washed spirits in cocktails, a dairy product is no stranger to a shaker. The integration of a milky cheese component presents an opportunity for a similarly creamy quality but with more intrinsic flavor in the process. So, swap out that heavy cream with stracciatellaand see what kind of gin fizz results.

A great opportunity for experimentation is burrata water, which will transform your creamy cocktails. The ingredient — which is often thrown away — can replace egg whites in a range of sours, with an ounce of the liquid creating an equivalent foam. This whey product often contains salt and some acidity as well, so note that it'll lend more flavor to the resultant drinks. It's frequently paired with gin as the spirit's robust floral and herbal palate does well to counterbalance the cheesy notes.

It's also possible to mix in milky cheeses without relying on an established drink formula. Some bartenders simply add a morsel of cheese into the shaker or place a spoonful of an airy cheese-like mascarpone atop a drink. There's also more intensive integration potential through fat-washing; sturdier cheeses like feta or ricotta mingle with the liquor for a duration prior to assembly. So, while a bourbon and cheese pairing is a reliable combo, both components can belong in the same shaker, too.