The New York Times just posted a story online about some goofball health inspector recently citing Big Apple cocktail mecca Pegu Club for alleged health violations.

The crime?

Serving cocktails – specifically a very tasty one dubbed the Earl Grey MarTEAni – made with raw egg whites.

Naturally, the New York cocktail scene is whipped up with worry that the city will start cracking down (okay, even I’m cringing at these puns) on the use of eggs in drinks.

Now, I come across plenty of folks who, when I tell them I’m making them a cocktail with egg whites, scrunch up their face and say, um, isn’t that dangerous? Fair enough. But when a health inspector in New York, a person who routinely pokes around in some of the world’s greatest kitchens, is this maddeningly ignorant, well, WTF?!

Pegu Club mixologist Audrey Saunders, whose Earl Grey MarTEAni creation has bartenders around the city scrambling (sorry) to figure out if they’ll soon have to pluck all egg-containing cocktails from their menus, is quoted in this same NYT piece saying she’s looking into sourcing organic eggs – which may placate health officials.

I’m betting this whole misunderstanding gets cleared up soon. That eggs won’t be tossed from Pegu’s – or any other bar’s – menus.

But she does bring up something that I agree with: that you always want to use the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, in your cocktails.

So here’s my two cents about selecting eggs – be they for an Earl Grey MarTEAni or an eggs Benedict. It is true that raw eggs can harbor dangerous kooties such as salmonella. But if you exercise the same judgment you would in selecting any other food, you’ll be fine.

Of course, as with most foods these days, shopping for eggs never used to be so complicated. Today you’re faced with eggs that are “certified humane” or “American humane certified,” omega-3 fortified, cage free, free range, or any number of designations awarded by a constellation of federal and state agencies.

Here’s all you need to remember: Pick eggs that are Grade AA (best quality) and have the USDA organic emblem, which means they meet the standards of the U.S. agriculture department’s National Organic rogram. This means that, among other things, the birds are kept cage free and with access to the outdoors, they are not given antibiotics (even if sick), and their food is free of animal byproducts and made from crops grown without the application of pesticides, fertilizers, and/or raw sewage and that haven’t been irradiated or genetically engineered.

Eggs can still be organic if deemed so by an independent or state-run program, but verifying this can be more trouble than it’s worth. The same goes for eggs bought at farmers’ markets.

Come to think of it, here’s a cocktail made with eggs that’s one of my favorites, courtesy of mixologist John Hogan…

Pineapple Caipirinha with Sweet Lime Espuma

This cocktail is a zesty, airy confection that deftly uses contrasting textures—foam and firmness—to highlight how well lime, pineapple, and the sugarcane brandy cachaça play together.

Half of an organic lime, cut into 4 pieces

Four 1⁄2-inch cubes organic pineapple

4 organic sugar cubes

1 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice

1 ounce organic agave nectar

1 large organic egg white

2 ounces organic Cuca Fresca cachaça

1 spiky organic pineapple leaf (optional)

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lime, pineapple, and sugar cubes until the mixture has an even consistency. In a separate small shaker, combine the lime juice, agave nectar, and egg white to make the espuma. “Dry shake” (shake without ice) until the mixture is thickly frothy, about 30 seconds. Add ice cubes to the muddled mixture and pour in the cachaça. Shake vigorously, then pour the mixture, unstrained, into a tall glass. Top with the espuma and garnish with the pineapple leaf, if using.