Winter Sour
The Winter Sour is a modern sour cocktail variation that uses Campari as a base and Honey Syrup as a sweetener. Other than that, it's pretty similar to other sour cocktails; it generally follows the formula or spirit, Lemon Juice, sweetener, and Egg White. Another twist here though is that the recipe calls for a little bit of Rosemary as well. This adds an interesting flavour and some Winter elements as well.Since you're using only Campari here for alcohol, this is a sour cocktail that is a lot lower in alcohol than others, which is great for sour lovers who don't want to go too overboard! It's interesting because even other sour cocktails, like the Amaretto Sour, that feature an alternative (generally lower alcohol) spirit usually prop it up with at least Bourbon for both strength and flavour. But not here!
Ingredients
- 30 mL Campari
- 45 mL Honey Syrup
- 45 mL Lemon Juice
- Egg White
- Leaves from a small sprig of Rosemary
- Garnish with an additional sprig of Rosemary
Instructions
- Put the Rosemary leaves and Honey Syrup in a cocktail shaker and muddle together.
- Pour in the Campari, Lemon Juice, and Egg White. Dry shake (i.e. shake without ice) for about 20-30 seconds to froth up the Egg White.
- Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake again until everything is both cold and mixed.
- Double strain into a Coupe.
- Garnish, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
While Campari is quite bitter, it works well in this recipe going up against the Lemon Juice and, more importantly, the Honey Syrup. Using regular Simple Syrup likely wouldn't add enough sweetness here nor give the right flavour up against the bitterness of the Campari. You can also tell from the recipe that the portion of Honey Syrup is pretty generous! If things do come out too sweet for you, or you just like things bitter, feel free to dial back the Honey Syrup a little bit. Ultimately you're making a cocktail for you, so make it how you like it!