Lemon Frost

A summer soda-fountain drink from the era when a raw egg white was a standard garnish. The lemonade and ice are unremarkable; the frosted top is the problem.

• The raw egg whiteThe beaten white is spooned onto a cold drink and never heated at any point. Shell eggs can carry Salmonella on the shell and, less often, within the white and yolk, and nothing in this method reaches a temperature that would reduce it. Whipping and acidifying with lemon juice does not pasteurise anything.
• Who is most at riskEven at low overall odds, an uncooked-egg drink is a poor bet for young children, pregnant women, older adults and anyone immune-compromised — precisely the people to whom a cooling lemon drink is most often handed.
• Cracked iceCracked ice is ice broken into irregular chips, coarser than crushed and smaller than cubes. It chills and dilutes quickly. The recipe fills the glass only one-fourth with it rather than packing it.
• If you want the drinkFollow a current recipe from a source that specifies a safe egg product for uncooked use. We are not offering an adapted version of this one.