The Kitchn: How to make a classic whiskey sour
A whiskey sour is yours for the making year-round. It's refreshing enough to keep up with a spritz during the warm summer months, and so appropriate during the colder seasons of the year. Even if you're not a whiskey fan (which breaks my heart), you might still find yourself swooning over a well-crafted whiskey sour. It's that good! The secret is using fresh ingredients.
It's such an easy cocktail to make at home, and perfect for entertaining guests. There's nothing better than hearing that "ooh!" from your guest when you hand them a coupe glass filled with whiskey sour goodness.
To get started, you'll need some bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and one small egg (optional, but more on this in a bit).
The best whiskey sour ingredients
Bourbon: Choosing a bourbon for this cocktail shouldn't be difficult. I recommend a good value bottle, something in the price range of $15 to $25. Next time you're at a cocktail bar you like, ask the bartender which specific bottles of any given spirit they have in their well bar. This is a great way to find out what's good, both for your home bar and your budget.
Lemon juice: Next up, fresh-squeezed lemon juice. I'll say it again because this is so important: fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Gone are the days of using cheap mixes. If you want the absolute best whiskey sour you ever did taste in your life, then you need the real-deal fresh juice. Simple as that!
Simple syrup: For the sweetener, use a simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water). There are several whiskey sour recipes out there that call for a heaping bar spoon of sugar. You're free to go this route, but simple syrup combines so much better, so I prefer and recommend this.
To egg white or not to egg white
Have you ever seen that amazing layer of foam resting gently at the top of a cocktail? Yeah, you can thank egg white for that. To some, using raw egg whites in a cocktail is a novel concept (although this has been a trick of bartenders for nearly a century).
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