Whisky sour
Whiskey, lemon and sugar syrup, shaken to a foam. Sharp, smooth and easy to adjust.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- 2 UK units
How to make a whisky sour
- Dry shake first. Add the whiskey, lemon juice, syrup and egg white or aquafaba to a shaker with no ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds. You will feel it thicken as the foam builds.
- Shake again with ice. Open the shaker, fill it with ice, then shake for another 10 to 12 seconds until the tin is frosted.
- Strain over fresh ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh cubes. The foam should sit in a thick, pale layer on top.
- Add the bitters. Dot two dashes of Angostura on the foam and add the lemon wheel. Serve straight away.
- Glass
- Rocks glassNo rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- Lemon wheel and two dashes of Angostura on the foamOr: A cocktail cherry.
What you need to make a whisky sour
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- A bourbonBuffalo Trace is a reliable choice. Wild Turkey 101 gives a bolder sour.Find it on Amazon
- Fresh lemonsThe bottled juice will not do. Fresh is the main thing that matters.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The whisky sour story
Sours were in print by the early 1860s, and Jerry Thomas included a whiskey sour in his 1862 book How to Mix Drinks. It sits in the same family as the Old Fashioned: a spirit, sugar and a sour element. Egg white came later, to give the drink a silky foam.
Bourbon gives a sweeter, rounder sour, while rye or Scotch makes it drier. Egg white is optional, and you can use 30 ml of aquafaba from a tin of chickpeas instead. Taste after shaking: too sharp, add a splash of syrup, too sweet, a squeeze more lemon.
Whisky sour: your questions answered
What is in a whisky sour?
A whisky sour is made with 50 ml bourbon, 25 ml fresh lemon juice and 20 ml sugar syrup. Garnish: lemon wheel and two dashes of Angostura on the foam.
Is a whisky sour shaken or stirred?
A whisky sour is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a whisky sour?
Made to this recipe, a whisky sour contains about 2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a whisky sour in?
Serve a whisky sour in a rocks glass over ice. No rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
