The Whiskey Sour has been a popular cocktail for about as long as it’s been around. Every bar or restaurant tends to have their own variation of this drink, many times under different names. But the one thing that stays consistent is that this is a very simple cocktail to make with very few ingredients.
What is a Whiskey Sour?
A Whiskey Sour is one of many different versions of the sour cocktail format, which utilizes a base spirit, a sour component, and a sweetener. You can make a sour out of any spirit, from bourbon to gin to vodka and rum. Some of these other sours have actually become popular enough to warrant their own name (Margarita anyone?). Just as you can use any spirit as the base in a sour, you can also utilize liqueurs to add depth and variation to your basic sours. Check out our Amaretto Sour, a delicious variation of this cocktail.
How to make a Whiskey Sour
The key to making a good Whiskey Sour all comes down to your shaking technique. With all bourbon-based sour cocktails, I recommend adding egg white foam for both presentation and the creamy mouthfeel. While most people add egg white and just shake the cocktail with ice as usual, the trade secret is to dry shake the cocktail first. I use a blender ball that came in one of my protein shaker bottles to shake the cocktail first, THEN add ice. This gives a lot of that rich egg white foam on top of the cocktail.
Whiskey Sour Recipe
- 2oz Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- .75oz lemon juice
- .75oz simple syrup
- 1 egg white
Add all ingredients to shaker, add a protein blender ball, and dry shake for 20-30 seconds. Add ice and wet shake for an additional 10-15 seconds to add water content and tie everything together. Pour into rocks glass over single large cube, garnish with bourbon cherries. Wait 1 minute before serving to allow the egg foam to separate from the drink and sit on top.