Whiskey Sour
The teaching whiskey
The template for all sours — bourbon's warmth, lemon's bite, and simple syrup's balance. Add egg white for a silky foam cap that elevates a straightforward recipe into something special.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 Egg White optional
Method
If using egg white, add all ingredients to a shaker without ice and dry shake vigorously. Add ice and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.
The earliest documented mention of a Whiskey Sour appears in Jerry Thomas's 1862 _The Bartender's Guide: How To Mix Drinks,_ with further early references in 1870 (Waukesha Plainsdealer) and 1872 (Elliot Staub credited as inventor in Iquique). Robert Vermiere noted in Cocktails: How to Mix Them (1922) that egg white improves sours. The drink appears in modified form with red wine (Chicago Sour) by December 1883 and established as a canonical mixed drink by the early 20th century. Per Difford's Guide #2083 and IBA (The Unforgettables list).
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