Make a Whiskey Sour

The whiskey sour is a classic balance of sweet and tart flavors. Making your own whiskey sour at home will only take a few minutes. If you get hooked, there are plenty of variations to try.

Ingredients

Simple Whiskey Sour

• 1.5 oz. (45 ml.) whiskey
• 1 oz. (30 ml.) lemon juice
• 1 tsp. (5 g.) powdered sugar
• 1 handful ice
• Lemon slice

Egg White Whiskey Sour

• 1.5 oz. (45 ml.) whiskey
• 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) simple syrup
• Splash orange liqueur
• 1 egg white
• 1 handful ice
• 1 orange twist

Double Standard Sour

• 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) whiskey
• 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) gin
• 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) simple syrup
• 1 dash grenadine
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 1 orange slice
• 1 handful ice

New York Sour

• 2 oz. (60 ml.) rye whiskey
• 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) simple syrup
• 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) dry red wine
• 1 handful ice
• 1 lemon slice

Dizzy Sour

• 1.5 oz (45 ml.) whiskey
• 0.75 oz (22 ml.) fresh egg white
• 0.5 oz (15 ml.) lemon juice
• 2 bar-spoons Bénédictine
• 0.25 oz (7.5 ml. ) simple syrup
• 0.5 oz (15 ml.) dark Jamaican rum
• 1 handful ice
• 1 skewered pineapple cube

Steps

Simple Whiskey Sour

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add 1.5 oz. (45 ml.) of whiskey, 1 oz. (30 ml.) of lemon juice, 1 tsp. (5 g.) of powdered sugar, and a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker.
   • If you don't have a cocktail shaker, use two tall glasses, one inverted inside the other. A screw-top glass jar will also do the trick.
   • Use any type of whiskey. Rye and bourbon are common options.
2. Shake. Shake the drink for at least 10 seconds to blend the ingredients fully.
3. Strain the ingredients into a glass. Pour all ingredients into the glass, except for the ice. Whiskey sours are typically served in a rocks glass (old-fashioned glass). Cocktail glasses are not unheard-of for whiskey sours without ice.
   • You may add ice to the glass before pouring ("on the rocks"), or serve the drink without ice ("straight up"). Even "straight up" drinks still place ice in the cocktail shaker, to chill the drink.
4. Serve. Garnish the side of the glass with a lemon twist, or just a slice of lemon. If you prefer sweet flavors, garnish with a maraschino cherry instead.
   • If you think the drink is too sour or too sweet, adjust the amount of sugar or lemon juice next time. There's no single "correct" recipe; it's all up to personal preference.

Egg White Whiskey Sour

1. Shake all of the ingredients except the ice. Shake 1.5 oz. (45 ml.) of whiskey, 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) of lemon juice, 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) of simple syrup, one splash of orange liqueur, and one egg white together in a cocktail shaker. Shake thoroughly, until the egg white has broken up into froth; the cocktail will be very unpleasant if it still contains globs of egg white. When properly shaken, the egg white will make the cocktail much smoother on the mouth, and soften the lemon flavor a little.
   • Shaking the ingredients together without the ice first may help emulsify the egg white, distributing it evenly throughout the drink. You can skip this step and just shake everything once, but shake extra vigorously to make up for it.
   • There is a tiny risk of salmonella infection from raw egg white. If you are concerned about this, or if you are serving the drink to an elderly or immune-compromised person, use "pasteurized shell" eggs.
2. Add ice and shake a second time. Now, place a handful of ice into the cocktail shaker and shake the ingredients again for another ten seconds. The ice will help cool the ingredients.
3. Strain the drink into a glass. Pour into a rocks glass or a short-stemmed sour glass. The small mouths on these glasses help maintain the distinctive foamy head from the egg white.
   • Optionally, add ice to the glass first.
4. Garnish. Since this version contains orange liqueur, an orange twist is a thematic garnish. Enjoy the drink immediately.

Double Standard Sour

1. Combine in a cocktail shaker. Shake 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) of whiskey, 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) of gin, 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) of lemon juice, 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) of simple syrup, and 1 dash of grenadine together for at least ten seconds to blend the flavors.
2. Strain the ingredients into a glass. Strain the ingredients into a sour glass or an old fashioned glass filled with ice.
3. Serve. Garnish this drink with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice and enjoy it immediately.

New York Sour

1. Shake together all ingredients. In a cocktail shaker or other container, shake 2 oz. of rye whiskey, 0.75 oz. (22 ml.) of lemon juice, 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) of simple syrup, and one handful of ice together in a glass for at least ten seconds.
2. Strain the ingredients into a glass. Strain these ingredients into a sour glass, or even a wine glass.
3. Float dry red wine over the drink. Carefully pour 0.5 oz. (15 ml.) of dry red wine over the back of a large spoon, running onto the side of a cocktail glass or large rocks glass. When poured correctly, the wine will float in a separate layer on top of the whiskey. Make sure to use a dry wine, such as a Syrah, Malbec, or Merlot. A sweet red wine will make a cloying cocktail.
4. Serve. Garnish this drink with a lemon slice and enjoy it immediately. To get the full flavor, tip back the glass and get a mouthful that contains all ingredients. Sipping at the top will leave you with

Dizzy Sour

1. Shake together everything except the rum and garnish. Shake together 1.5 oz whiskey, 0.5 oz lemon juice, 2 tsp Bénédictine, 0.25 oz simple syrup, and a handful of ice.
   • Be sure to shake until the egg white breaks up completely. If you're having trouble with this, shake once without ice, then a second time with.
   • If you don't have Bénédictine, try yellow Chartreuse or (in a pinch) Drambuie.
2. Strain into a glass. Serve over the rocks in a rocks glass, or straight up in a cocktail glass.
3. Float the rum. Pour 0.5 oz dark rum over the back of a spoon, onto the side of the glass. Hopefully, this will float in its own separate layer. In practice, many rums and whiskeys are similar in density, and will mix together rapidly.
   • Increase the odds of floating by chilling the ingredients and glass, and by choosing a whiskey and rum with significantly different proofs.
4. Garnish with pineapple. Rum adds a tropical theme that pairs well with pineapple skewer. You may leave out the garnish if you prefer to focus on the complex blend of ingredients.

Tips

• For even more variations, Make-Sugar-Syrup and infuse it with rosemary or other herbs. Or try a brown simple syrup, heated until slightly caramelized, which complements the flavor of dark liquor.
• For a sweeter cocktail, squeeze the juice of a Meyer lemon instead of a regular lemon. You may want to reduce the amount of sugar or syrup, down to ½ or ¾ the amount given in the recipe.
• These recipes assume you are using a 1:1 simple syrup. If you Make-Sugar-Syrup with 2 parts sugar and 1 part water, halve the amount.
• The recipes given here can overpower whiskeys with lighter flavors or lower alcohol content. When using these whiskeys, consider reducing the amount of lemon juice and sugar.

Warnings

• Avoid granulated sugar, which will leave a gritty texture in your drink. Superfine sugar or bar sugar will work fine, if you shake the drink hard enough.
• Drink responsibly. 1.5 oz whiskey is a standard drink. Two or three standard drinks can seriously impair your driving.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Mix a Simple Hot Tea and Whiskey
• Make a Scotch and Soda
• Make a Black Tooth Grin
• Make Irish Coffee
• Make a Hot Whiskey

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• Make Whiskey
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