Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, lemon, sugar. Add an egg white if you want the silky version. The fortifying drink of every era.
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz simple syrup (1:1)
- 0.5 oz egg white, optional, for the silky version
- Angostura bitters, 2 to 3 dashes, on top
- Brandied cherry or lemon twist, for garnish
Method
- Add bourbon, lemon juice, syrup, and optional egg white to a shaker. Dry-shake without ice for 10 seconds to emulsify the egg white into foam.
- Add cubed ice and shake hard for another 15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, or into a chilled coupe served up.
- Float a few drops of Angostura bitters on the foam and drag a toothpick through them for the classic latte-art swirl.
- Garnish with a brandied cherry or a lemon twist.
Flavor
Sharp lemon front, soft bourbon body, light sweetness underneath. Egg white turns the texture from bright-and-tart to silky-and-rounded without changing the flavor.
History
Documented in Jerry Thomas's 1862 Bartender's Guide. Sailors mixing rough whiskey with lemon to fight scurvy on long voyages is the popular origin story; the polished modern recipe was the bar reply.
Egg white versions are sometimes called Boston Sours, though Boston bars do not consistently agree on that name. Egg yolk versions exist (Gold Rush, Whiskey Flip) and are richer; not for this recipe.
Pairs With
- Fried chicken
- Aged cheddar
- Bread pudding
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