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A Whiskey Sour in served in a coupe glass.

Whiskey Sour

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A classic! While you can make a sour out of almost any spirit, the Whiskey Sour is indeed the standard. The marriage of Bourbon with lemon, and just a hint of sweetness makes one hell of a cocktail. The Whiskey Sour has been around for a long time for a reason.
The fun thing about a Whiskey Sour is that, while it's easy to make, there's a great transformation of the ingredients in the shaker, making it feel extra special, especially if you're new to making cocktails. There's something about the chemistry of getting some wonderful froth from the egg white on the top of your drink that's just wonderful.
Going further, being such a classic cocktail, there are so many different ways to make a Whiskey Sour, you may find different recipes elsewhere. We've tried to keep pretty standard here, but feel free to adjust this recipe to suit your tastes.
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

  • 60 mL Bourbon Rye works too, but the standard is with Bourbon.
  • 30 mL Lemon juice
  • 15 mL Simple Syrup* or to taste, you do you.
  • Egg white
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish with orange and cherry (optional)

Instructions

  • Put Bourbon, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, and Egg White into a cocktail shaker. This is all the ingredients except for the Bitters.
  • Shake well WITHOUT ice; this is called dry shaking. This helps get the egg white nice and frothy. Ensure there's a good seal on the shaker (cold from ice usually helps the seal, but we're not using ice yet).
  • Shake again with plenty of ice to chill the drink.
  • Strain into a glass of your choosing.
  • Add a dash of bitters on top to garnish (if desired). Serve and enjoy.

Notes

*Here's how to make Simple Syrup.
Use a good Bourbon to ensure the best Whiskey Sour possible. This is a great classic cocktail, and there's no reason to ruin it with bad Bourbon. Also, as mentioned, there are plenty of variations on the Whiskey Sour (and sours in general), so have fun with this! Feel free to explore our other cocktail recipes to find other great sour cocktail recipes, the variations are endless.
Alternatively see what you like with other base spirits, whether that be something like Gin or Vodka, or anything else lying around. It may not work, but it may just become your new favourite mixed drink. You don't know until you try it!