New York Sour Cocktail Recipe
A whiskey sour with red wine floated on top — two distinct drinks in one glass until you take a sip.
- Category: New Era Drinks
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 18%
- Difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Bourbon60 ml (2 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Simple syrup20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Red wine15 ml (0.5 oz)
How to Make It
- Shake bourbon, lemon juice and syrup with ice.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Float the red wine over the back of a bar spoon so it sits on top.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Garnish
Lemon twist
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads and it smells of lemon and lime peel.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Bourbon
- American whiskey made from at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak. The corn gives sweetness, the barrel vanilla; swap in rye and the drink turns noticeably spicier.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
- Red wine
- You want a young, fruity red that does not push its tannin; heavy, oaky wines turn harsh against cola or soda. Expensive wine is wasted here.
The Story
A Chicago invention of the 1880s despite the name, when floating claret over a sour was briefly the fashion everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a New York Sour mixed?
- It is shaken and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a New York Sour?
- Roughly 18% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a New York Sour be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a New York Sour hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Wine in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.