Virgin Sour Mocktail Recipe
Strong black tea standing in for whiskey, shaken with lemon and egg white — the foam and the tannin do the work.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Black tea60 ml (2 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Simple syrup20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Egg white1 piece
- Angostura bitters2 dash
How to Make It
- Brew the tea very strong and chill it.
- Shake the tea, lemon juice, syrup and egg white without ice to build the foam.
- Add ice and shake again until cold, then double-strain into a rocks glass.
- Dash the bitters onto the foam and garnish.
Garnish
Lemon twist and a cherry
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, it smells of lemon and lime peel and it wears a foam cap.
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
- 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.
- Egg white
- Egg white adds texture, not flavour. Shake it first without ice (a dry shake), then again with ice. The vegan swap is chickpea water, in the same quantity.
- Angostura bitters
- The salt of the cocktail world. Measured in dashes, not millilitres: a few of them cut the sweetness and add spice. One bottle lasts years.
The Story
The trick every no-alcohol bar learned: tea supplies the astringency spirits normally provide, so the drink has a spine instead of just being juice.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Virgin Sour mixed?
- It is shaken and served in an old fashioned glass.
- Does a Virgin Sour contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Virgin Sour hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.