Cocktail (1988) captures the flash, rhythm, and bravado of bartending, with Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan spinning bottles and stealing scenes. Among its most infamous moments is the creation of the Red Eye: a bold, hangover-busting cocktail that mixes tomato juice, beer, vodka, and an unapologetic raw egg cracked directly into the glass.
Part spectacle, part supposed cure, the Red Eye became a cinematic legend. Whether you dare to try it yourself or just admire it as pop culture theater, the drink embodies the film’s cheeky energy. More about bravado than refined taste, it’s proof that the right cocktail on screen can become an unforgettable moment.
Servings: 1
Time: Under 2 minutes
Difficulty: Daring
🍹 Ingredients
- 1 oz vodka
- 6 oz tomato juice
- 1 can (12 oz) light beer
- 1 raw egg
- Tabasco or black pepper (optional)
🥂 Instructions
- In a large beer mug, pour in the vodka and tomato juice.
- Top with chilled light beer, leaving a little room so it doesn’t foam over.
- Crack and drop the raw egg whole into the glass, yolk intact.
- Do not stir. Serve it as is.
Optional kick: a dash of hot sauce or freshly ground pepper.
🎬 A Drink with Attitude
The Red Eye is more about theater than refinement. With its daring raw egg topping the bright mix of beer and tomato juice, it looks like a challenge in a glass. The vodka adds a subtle punch, while the rich tomato base keeps it savory and hearty. In Cocktail, it served as both a hangover remedy and a spectacle to wow the crowd, demonstrating how bartending can blur the line between performance and mixology.
💡 Tip for the Brave
If you’re making a Red Eye at home, use very fresh eggs from a trusted source. For a safer (yet showy) option, swap the raw egg for a pasteurized egg, you’ll still get the same daring visual without the risk.
🌅 Perfect Setting
This drink belongs after a night out, when you’re bleary-eyed but game for a bold “cure.” Serve it at a raucous brunch, a movie-themed party, or any gathering where cinematic cocktails are part of the fun. Just like in Cocktail, the Red Eye isn’t about taste alone, it’s about making a moment unforgettable. Cheers!
🍸 Raw-Egg Hangover Cures Through History
The Red Eye isn’t the only drink to crack an egg into a glass. Raw-egg concoctions have a long and curious history as “morning-after” remedies. The idea was simple: pack protein, fat, and a bit of booze together to jolt the body back to life after a night of excess.
One of the earliest was the Prairie Oyster, a 19th-century classic made with a raw egg yolk (often left unbroken), Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. It was more tonic than cocktail, meant to be swallowed in one go, like a bracing shot of nourishment and spice.
Similar raw-egg hangover drinks popped up across Europe and America, with variations adding sherry, brandy, or bitters. Even the Eggnog, though festive and celebratory today, grew from the tradition of mixing eggs, milk, and spirits for fortification.
The Red Eye sits squarely in this tradition: a splash of liquor, a hearty base (tomato juice and beer), and the classic egg-on-top. What sets it apart is its cinematic flair. Where the Prairie Oyster was medicinal, the Red Eye became theater on the big screen, but both share the same lineage of trying to turn last night’s indulgence into this morning’s cure.
Image from the 1988 movie Cocktail, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution in the United States and by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United Kingdom and France.