Whiskey Sour

The Whiskey Sour fits into the classic cocktail category like a glove.

Popular around the world, the tart bourbon-based drink doesn’t involve any special tools or obscure ingredients. Dating back to the 19th century and possibly further, it’s proven the test of time and gets more popular with every passing decade.

We’d love to tell you a story about the dashing young bartender who invented the Whiskey Sour but that would be pure fantasy.

What we can tell you is that the Whiskey Sour dates back to at least the mid-19th century when Jerry Thomas included the sour whiskey cocktail in his iconic guide – The Bon Vivant’s Companion. However, cocktail historians (yes, that’s a thing) suspect that the Whiskey Sour’s history goes back further when sailors would drink liquor to stay both happy and hydrated during long voyages.

Discover more sour cocktails to craft at home.

The Whiskey Sour has evolved over the years with egg white froth added to the mix years after Thomas published his book. It’s also appeared in movies like The Seven Year Itch back in 1955 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood more recently in 2019.

Right now, it’s playing a starring role in our home bar.

While you could craft a Whiskey Sour with Whiskey Sour mix, we say don’t do it. Not only do commercial mixes tastes bad, there’s really no need considering the simple roster of ingredients required to craft a Whiskey Sour from scratch.

While you can use either bourbon or rye to craft a Whiskey Sour, we use bourbon whiskey in our recipe. And, in our home, we specifically use Four Roses bourbon.

Four Roses is a great cocktail bourbon since its flavors are relatively mild with hints of both vanilla and caramel. It’s also one of the more affordable bourbons produced in Kentucky and has a 40% ABV, the lowest possible ABV for Kentucky bourbon.

Feel free to use whatever bourbon or rye is your favorite. If you do, you’re practically guaranteed to love your Whiskey Sour cocktail.

Discover our favorite bourbon cocktails.

We typically prepare simple syrup in advance so that it has time to cool. However, we squeeze the lemon juice on the spot by hand for maximum freshness.

Pro Tip
Save money by making simple syrup from scratch. It’s as easy as boiling water and sugar in a 1:1 ratio until the sugar dissolves. Make sure you stir frequently so that the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Let the syrup cool before covering and storing in an airtight container.

Adding raw egg white is an optional step that creates a frothy finish not to mention a bit of protein.

Pro Tip
Feel free to omit the egg white if you follow a vegan diet or are concerned about salmonella. Another option is to use a pasteurized egg white product or aquafaba to create froth.

We use a Boston Shaker to craft this and other cocktails and we love it. It’s so easy to use and doesn’t make a mess. Our previous shakers often leaked and the lid would stick to the base between uses.

The final step is to strain the bourbon cocktail into a glass and garnish.

We like to drink our Whiskey Sours on the rocks with a toasted orange twist and Luxardo cherry garnishes. These garnishes look great. Plus, there’s nothing better than eating that cherry after it soaks up some of the cocktail.

Buy a jar of Luxardo cherries from Amazon if you can’t find them at your local liquor store or specialty market.

We’re going to go on a limb and suggest that there’s no need to modify the classic Whiskey Sour recipe. It’s that good. However, we fully support you crafting it to your personal taste. Here are some experimentation ideas to consider:

Recipe FAQs