As long as you have good shaking technique, the foam and mouthfeel get pretty close to egg-based methods.
I still use chickpea juice in cocktails to mix it up. But the chance of a salmonella poisoning from eggs in the modern US supply chain is astronomically low. You're at much higher risk from most produce.
If you're really risk-averse, you can always sous vide your eggs at 132 F for 60 minutes. This will pasteurize the surface (where any bacteria live), yet preserve the raw egg texture. (Egg whites and yols typically don't change form until around 140 F)
Immunocompromised individuals may still find these risks unacceptable, and then aquafaba or pasteurization is a great option.
I grew up with unwashed eggs and never gave it much thought, but now I guess that's one more thing to keep in mind (although I live in North America these days)
Somehow a little (probably incorrect) part of me likes to think that the unwashed eggs are more "authentic" and lead to better food - it's not rational thinking at all, and I'm not waiting for salmonella to hit me before I work at changing my mind about that :)
I can't taste the difference in my eggs vs a store bought, white, washed egg.
I can easily see it, though, with a more orange yolk in the fresh eggs, which most people attribute to eating more bugs.
The one thing I'd love to see however is whether we'd find the same proportions of nutrients in a more scientific breakdown too. Humans aren't necessarily able to know purely from the experience itself if something is healthier than something else for them, we're more wired to detect if something is problematic or not and also prone to a whole lot of suggestion. While the tasting test seems to show that the immediate experience isn't conclusively discernible, it doesn't tell us anything about long-term health effects (understandably so, they're not egg-researchers dedicating decade-long funding to figure that one out!).
I have one convert so far, but he didn't see me make the drinks, just the final result.
I'll have to try chickpea juice though since it seems logistically easier than dealing with an egg for a drink.
I'm weird but I feel more squeamish about using the juice from a can of beans than I do using raw egg! Not because I think there's anything dangerous in there, just because it's unpleasant to me on some odd level :)
Neither really seems likely to get me sick though.
Seems absurd now, knowing plastic is in the can!
If anyone else knows the reason for the lining, I'd be very interested in learning more.
No, because of reactions between the contents (particularly acidic contents) and the can.
The can of beans on the fire is a camping archetype - one I've witnessed people mimic first hand. Seems unhealthy, knowing this now.
Basically, you don't want any funny reactions with the metal.
Pro tip: Instead of doing a dry shake with the egg white, as is traditionally done, try blending it into the cocktail before adding ice. (I use an immersion blender for quicker setup and easier cleanup.) I've found the texture of the foam to be smoother if you do this.
Are you sure there wasn't a contamination issue?
I've been doing a lot of cocktails lately (gee, wonder why). And I do enjoy a flip. I don't make them simply because I don't want to deal with leftover egg yolks. But I tend to throw away aquafaba. Next time I have it, I'll try a flip made with it.
Maybe tonight. Thanks.
Flips are explicitly whole egg cocktails. If you're not using the yolk, you're not making a flip.
If you try to use aquafaba to replace the egg in a flip recipe, you'll end up with a different drink because you won't have the flavour of the yolk.
Flip – An entire egg
Nog – An entire egg plus dairy
Sour – Egg white only
Fizz – Egg plus carbonation
Optionally, but less common: Silver Fizz (egg white), Golden Fizz (egg yolk), Royal Fizz (whole egg) + carbonation.
You can take this even further, too: I make a variation of the Mai Tai that's topped with a foam made by blending egg white with passion fruit puree. The foam is the first thing you taste, so you immediately get hit with the sharp, sweet-tart flavor of the passion fruit, before the rest of the (more subtle) flavors kick in. It's delicious.
(I've done it with aquafaba and it works almost as well, although I've only used canned, which generally contains salt. I don't mind it, but it doesn't work in every cocktail.)
[0]: If you're interested in this stuff, I highly recommend the book Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold.