The whiskey sour perfectly balances sour and sweet flavors. Making this classic cocktail at home will only take a few minutes of your time. If you really like it, there are numerous other variations you could try.
Ingrediants
Simple Whiskey Sour
- 45 ml of Whiskey
- 30 ml of fresh lemon juice
- 5 g of powdered sugar
- Ice to taste
- Lemon slice
Whiskey Sour with Egg White
- 45 ml of Whiskey
- 22 ml of fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml of Sugar syrup
- 1 splash of Orange Liqueur
- 1 egg white
- Ice to taste
- A splash of the essential oils contained in an orange peel
Double Standard Whiskey Sour
- 22 ml of Whiskey
- 22 ml of Gin
- 22 ml of fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml of Sugar Syrup
- 1 drop of Grenadine
- 1 Maraschino cherry
- 1 slice of Orange
- Ice to taste
New York Sour
- 60 ml of Rye Whiskey
- 22 ml of fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml of Sugar Syrup
- 15 ml of dry red wine
- Ice to taste
- 1 slice of Lemon
Dizzy Sour
- 45 ml of Whiskey
- 22 ml of egg whites
- 15 ml of lemon juice
- 2 bar spoons of Bénédictine
- 7, 5 ml of Sugar Syrup
- 15 ml of Jamaican Dark Rum
- Ice to taste
- 1 pineapple cube stuck in a toothpick
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Simple Whiskey Sour
Step 1. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker
Take the shaker and add 45ml of whiskey, 30ml of lemon juice, 5g of powdered sugar and a handful of ice cubes.
- If you don't have a shaker, use two tall glasses of slightly different sizes, flipping the one with the smaller section over and inserting it into the larger one. A glass jar with a screw lid will be just as effective.
- Use whichever variety of whiskey you prefer. Rye whiskey and bourbon are the most common options.
Step 2. Shakera
Blend the drink in the shaker for at least 10 seconds to evenly blend the ingredients.
Step 3. Strain the drink through the strainer and pour it into a glass
Pour all the ingredients into the glass, except the ice. Commonly, whiskey sour is served in an old-fashioned glass (also known as "rocks" or "lowball"). Sometimes a cocktail glass is used for the ice-free version of the whiskey sour.
You can serve the drink straight, without adding ice to the glass, or "on the rocks", pouring the cubes into the glass before adding the other ingredients. Even in the smooth version, the drink must be prepared with ice in the shaker to be served cold
Step 4. Serve
Decorate the rim of the glass with a wedge of lemon or add a splash of essential oils to the drink. If you like sweet flavors, garnish it with a maraschino cherry instead.
If you think the drink is excessively sweet or sour, change the sugar and lemon juice accordingly next time. There is no single "exact" recipe, what matters most are your personal preferences
Method 2 of 5: Whiskey Sour with Egg White
Step 1. Shake all ingredients except ice
In a cocktail shaker, mix 45ml of whiskey, 22ml of lemon juice, 15ml of sugar syrup, a splash of orange liqueur, and one egg white. Shake it vigorously, until the egg white is transformed into a soft foam. Be careful because if it contains egg white residues that have not been properly shaken, the drink will have an unpleasant taste. If properly shaken, the egg white will harmonize the taste and texture of the cocktail, slightly attenuating the sour taste of the lemon.
- Shaking all the ingredients first without ice will favor the emulsion of the egg white, distributing it evenly inside the drink. If you wish, you can omit this step and mix all the ingredients at the same time; in this case, however, you will have to shake them even more vigorously.
- Eating raw egg white exposes you to the risk of contracting salmonella. If this worries you, or if you intend to serve the cocktail to an elderly person or person with a compromised immune system, use pasteurized egg whites.
Step 2. Add the ice and shake the cocktail again
Pour a handful of ice cubes into the shaker and mix the ingredients for another ten seconds. The ice will cool the drink.
Step 3. Pour the drink into the glass by filtering it through the strainer
Choose an old-fashioned glass or a wide, short-stemmed goblet. The narrow neck of the glass will help keep the top of the drink frothy.
Before pouring your drink, you can add ice cubes to the glass if you wish
Step 4. Complete
Since this version of the drink contains orange liqueur, a splash of essential oils and an orange zest will be perfectly themed. Enjoy your whiskey sour immediately.
Method 3 of 5: Double Standard Whiskey Sour
Step 1. Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker
Shake 22ml of whiskey, 22ml of gin, 22ml of lemon juice, 15ml of sugar syrup and a splash of grenadine for at least ten seconds to blend the flavors together.
Step 2. Filter the drink by pouring it into the glass through the strainer
Use a short stemmed goblet with a small rim or an old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes.
Step 3. Serve
Decorate the drink with a maraschino cherry and a slice of orange and enjoy it immediately.
Method 4 of 5: New York Sour
Step 1. Blend all the ingredients in a shaker or similar container
Take the shaker and add 60ml of rye whiskey, 22ml of lemon juice, 15ml of sugar syrup and a handful of ice cubes. Shake it vigorously for at least ten seconds.
Step 2. Pour the drink into the glass by filtering it through the strainer
Use a glass with a short stem and a small opening or a wine glass.
Step 3. Pour the dry red wine over the drink
Very carefully, pour 15ml of dry red wine on the back of a large spoon and let it flow to the side of the glass, in this case a cocktail glass or a large old-fashioned glass. If poured correctly, the wine will float on the whiskey forming a separate top layer. Make sure that the wine you choose is dry, therefore preferring a Syrah, a Malbec or a Merlot. A sweet red wine would make a cloying cocktail.
Step 4. Serve
Decorate the drink with a slice of lemon and enjoy it immediately. To savor all the flavors at the same time, tilt the glass back and take a long sip that allows you to bring all the ingredients to your mouth rather than just those contained in the surface layer.
Method 5 of 5: Dizzy Sour
Step 1. Blend all the ingredients except the rum and the elements to make the garnish
Vigorously shake 45ml whiskey, 22ml egg whites, 15ml lemon juice, 2 bar spoons of Bénédictine, 7.5ml sugar syrup and a handful of ice cubes.
- Shake the mixture long enough to completely break the egg whites. In case of difficulty, you can simplify this step by shaking the ingredients first without ice and then a second time with ice.
- If you don't have Bénédictine digestive liqueur available, you can use French Chartreuse or, in a small amount, Scottish Drambuie.
Step 2. Pour the drink into a glass by filtering it through the strainer
Serve it "on the rocks" in an old-fashioned glass or neat in a cocktail glass.
Step 3. Add the rum to the surface
Pour 15ml of dark rum on the back of a spoon and let it flow down one side of the glass. If you do this correctly, the rum will float on the drink forming a separate surface layer. In practice, many rums and whiskeys have a similar density and therefore tend to mix quickly.
When trying to create a layer of rum on the surface of the drink, you can increase your chances of success by chilling both the ingredients and the glass, and by choosing a whiskey and rum with a very different alcohol content
Step 4. Decorate the drink with a pineapple cube stuck in a cocktail toothpick
The rum gives a tropical note that goes perfectly with the pineapple taste. If you prefer to focus on the complex blend of ingredients, you can decide to leave out the decorative element.
Advice
- For more variations, make the sugar syrup yourself and flavor it to taste with rosemary or other herbs of your choice. Alternatively, try a brown sugar syrup and heat it until caramelized to match the taste of the dark liqueur.
- For a sweeter cocktail, squeeze a Meyer lemon instead of a classic one. In this case, reduce the amount of sugar or syrup by ½ or ¾.
- These recipes assume that you are using a sugar syrup prepared following the proportions of 1: 1. If you have chosen to make a richer syrup, with two parts of sugar for each part of water, halve the doses.
- In the recipes described, the ingredients may risk covering the taste of less aromatic whiskeys or whiskeys with a low alcohol content. If you have opted for one of these whiskeys, you can decide to reduce the doses of lemon juice and sugar.
Warnings
- Avoid granulated sugar which could give an unsightly grainy texture to the drink. Powdered or extra-fine sugar combined with a vigorous shake will guarantee an ideal result.
- Drink responsibly, 45ml of whiskey equals the standard dose of a drink. Two or three standard drinks can seriously jeopardize your driving skills.
