Whiskey Sour Cocktail Recipe
Bourbon, lemon and sugar, optionally with egg white for a silky foam. Tart and rounded.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 20%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Bourbon45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Simple syrup15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Egg white1 piece
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a shaker.
- If using egg white, dry-shake without ice first.
- Add ice and shake again until cold.
- Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
- Garnish with lemon and a cherry.
Garnish
Lemon slice and cherry
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads.
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.
- 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.
The Story
Documented since the 1860s; a foundational 'sour' template for countless cocktails.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Whiskey Sour mixed?
- It is shaken and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a Whiskey Sour?
- Roughly 20% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Whiskey 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 Whiskey Sour hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.