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Cocktail History
The Whiskey Sour is a classic cocktail that was first published in The Bartender’s Guide by Jerry Thomas in 1862. It’s traditionally made with bourbon, citrus, simple syrup, bitters, egg white, and cherries.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Bourbon: This is the base spirit. We went with Elijah Craig Bourbon for its deep, spiced whiskey flavor.
Lemon Juice: This adds sweet and sour citrus flavors for balance. We prefer to use fresh citrus juice because it’s less bitter than the bottled stuff and tastes better.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Orange Bitters: This is a type of spirit infused with orange and botanicals. They add citrus flavor and spice to the drink for more complexity. We used Scrappy’s Bitters Orange Bitters because they offer the classic taste of bitter oranges, herbs, and spices.
Egg White: This helps to soften the more intense flavors. It also adds body and a rich, silky smooth texture to the drink.
Cherries: This is the garnish. We prefer Luxardo Maraschino cherries because theirs are one of the tastiest and highest quality brands of cherries on the market.
Tasting Notes
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The recipe in the book was slightly different than the one we’re sharing. Alex used the classic specifications instead and made it with one of his favorite whiskeys. It tasted perfect to him; Kendall thought the recipe was tasty, but she likes several other whiskey drinks more.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
AuthorThe Essential Cocktail BookPrep Time5 minsAdd bourbon, simple syrup, orange bitters, lemon juice, and ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with cherry.
Ingredients
Directions
Add bourbon, simple syrup, orange bitters, lemon juice, and ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with cherry.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
More Whiskey Cocktails
If you like this whiskey-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
• Stone Fence: A bourbon cocktail made with apple cider, Angostura Aromatic bitters, and mint
• Mountain Man: A bourbon cocktail made with lemon juice, peach liqueur, ginger syrup, maple syrup, and candied ginger
• Boo Radley: A bourbon cocktail made with Cynar, cherry liqueur, a lemon peel, and an orange peel
• Falling Leaves: A rye cocktail made with Amaro Montenegro, toasted fig syrup, chocolate bitters, and an orange slice
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