Whiskey Sour hater , we need to talk .
Before you get defensive , we know you ’ve had plentifulness of oversweet or under - whiskied sours . But do n’t write off this classic just because some fill - in bartender got a little frisky with the soda gun . You have n’t had aWhiskey Souruntil you ’ve made one yourself .
At its tough , the Whiskey Sour is a sickly - sweet mixed drink built in the methamphetamine . At its good , it ’s the highest shape of the sour cocktail category ( its full cousin include theDaiquiri , Gimlet , SidecarandMargarita ) . The earliest print recipe for the drinkable appeared inJerry Thomas ’ 1862 tomeThe Bartenders Guide .
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One hundred years is a farseeing sentence , however , and a century afterThe Bartender ’s Guidewas published , the Whiskey Sour was in a regretful way . By the 1980s , when aSex on the Beachwas a legitimate cocktail and shoulder joint inkpad were stylish business - wear , the Whiskey Sour was all but unrecognisable .
Part of the problem is correctly there in the name . If you say the actual wrangle “ Whiskey Sour , ” to a bartender , not only will he be pour you the bar ’s ( probably questionable ) well whiskey , but he ’ll take you for someone who does n’t have intercourse enough to call for their favorite hooch . Which is to say , someone who wants enough sour mixing in the looking glass to make them forget there is even such a thing as whiskey .
The drinking is so ill understood , in fact , it ’s plausibly good you do n’t order it in a bar . Instead , make it a staple of your home bartending game . The same thing that led to the deglutition ’s downfall―its simplicity―makes it a cinch to hone in your kitchen bar . get going with two parts good whisky , half a part of elementary sirup and three - quarters part of citrus juice ( either maize or a portmanteau word of lemon and caustic lime ) , and taste the difference fresh ingredients make . From there the possibilities are interminable .
you may substitutedifferent types of whiskeyto change the flavor of the beverage . Go for a high - cogent evidence Bourbon dynasty if you care the preference of whisky , and if you want spice , go with rye .
Try add some Angostura or Peychaud’sbittersfor spicery . Maybe merge in a trivial orangish marmalade for a touch of yield . Ginger juice gives it a kick . Or sub aginger liqueurorhoney syrupfor the mere syrup , and use Scotch to get a Graeco-Roman aPenicillin . Try incorporating egg ashen for a creamy , frothy grain . See how it changes when serve on the rocks or up . The Whiskey Sour contains multitudes .
You ’ll also notice that while the classic Whiskey Sour calls for a cherry garnish , we did n’t mention it above . That is because most maraschino cherries are an affront to human decency . If you have Luxardo cherries , find detached to toss one in there . If you havebrandied , whiskiedormoonshinedcherries , even better . Or just leave the cherry out and trim with an expressed orange , lemon yellow or fluxing lime rind .
If you ’re just getting started with cocktail experimentation , the simplicity of this deglutition cause it an idealistic political platform for search how dissimilar tone play together . And the next time someone rolls their oculus when you extend them a Whiskey Sour , give them something that will make their eyes pluck back into their header .
