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Cocktail History
The Averna Stout Flip is a modern cocktail that was created by Jacob Grier in Oregon and was first published in his book Cocktails on Tap: The Art of Mixing Spirits & Beer. The recipe employs three dark, flavorful ingredients including stout beer, an amaro, and aromatic bitters along with a whole egg to create a velvety and rich yet surprisingly light drink that is still palatable despite its heavy flavors.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Stout Beer: This is a type of beer made with English hops, malted barley, yeast, sugar, and water. We used Samual Smith Old Brewery Imperial Stout because it has a unique malt flavor with coffee and chocolate notes. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Big Drop Brewing Company Non-Alcoholic Galactic Milk Stout in place of the beer.
Amaro Averna: This is a liqueur made in Italy with bitter orange peels, lemon, pomegranate, herbs, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Dr. Zero Zero ArmarNo Non-Alcoholic Amaro in place of the amaro.
Egg White & Yolk: This is both the clear liquid and yellow portion in an egg. We used fresh egg white and yolk because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Aromatic Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters.
Grated Nutmeg: This is a spice made from the seed of a nutmeg tree. We used whole nutmeg from the bulk section at our local grocery store.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Grater: This is used to grate spices or citrus peel. We used the OXO Good Grips Grater.
Tasting Notes
The Averna Stout Flip features nutmeg aromas and an airy mouthfeel that tastes of dark, chocolatey stout combined with the herbal and aromatic Amaro Averna, all with the slight extra thickness given by the whole egg.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The recipe does a great job of harmoniously blending the herbal chocolate and coffee flavors of the beer into an extremely palatable package that will still please those who may not care for the ingredients separately. While neither of us are the biggest fans of stout beers, Kendall found the Averna Stout Flip good but still a bit too heavy for her. Meanwhile, Alex was quite surprised at how great the combination was.

Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Going by the recipe alone, I figured I would enjoy this drink, but it exceeded my expectations. Despite containing dark beer, herbal and bitter amaro, Angostura aromatic bitters, and a whole egg, it’s unexpectedly light, bringing all the flavors to the palate but without the rock-in-the-gut weight. I enjoyed every sip of this chocolatey drink, and while I had my reservations about shaking the beer with the rest of the flip, I concede that it is a good decision after all.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐
“I never know what to expect with beer cocktails because they’re all so different, but this was a bit too heavy and bitter for me. I’m not big on stout beer cocktails in general though. I could see a regular drinker of the beer really liking this drink even so. The Amaro Averna adds a unique balance to the bitterness of the beer, while the spice of the bitters rounds them both out. Very unique!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.
Add Amaro Averna, beer, egg white, egg yolk, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a goblet.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Ingredients
Directions
Add Amaro Averna, beer, egg white, egg yolk, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a goblet.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Big Drop Brewing Company Non-Alcoholic Galactic Milk Stout in place of the beer, Dr. Zero Zero ArmarNo Non-Alcoholic Amaro in place of the amaro, and All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Beer Cocktails
If you like this beer-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:

Stout Sangaree: A Irish stout beer and port wine cocktail made with nutmeg

Hop Over: An IPA cocktail made with genever, velvet falernum, lemon juice, orange flower water, and a lemon wheel

Black Velvet: A stout beer cocktail made with sparkling wine and a lemon twist

End of the Line: A beer cocktail made with gin, orange curaçao, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, rosemary, grapefruit, and peppercorn bitters, and an orange slice
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