The whiskey sour has gone through many different iterations throughout the years. The process of making one is simple. All you have to do is use the golden ratio that we talked about on another post (see: Golden Ratio, Sour Cocktails). In this post, we will be talking about the history of the whiskey sour, how to make one, and why it is significant in the philosophy of drink making.
HISTORY
It is said that the sour cocktails such as the whiskey sour was derived from the timeless PUNCH. Whiskey hasn’t ALWAYS tasted good. The records of whiskey being mixed with citrus dates back to the 1860s. It was first seen in Jerry Thomas’ How to Mix Drinks in 1862. The popularity of the drink continued strong well into the 1960s. Even today, the original whiskey sour (now having had many variations behind bars) is the pinnacle of “tough”, as it has withstood the test of time alongside numerous classic cocktails
RECIPE
Here is my favorite way to make a classic whiskey sour:
2oz (60mL) Bourbon whiskey or rye if you prefer
0.75oz (20mL) lemon juice, fresh squeezed
0.75oz (20mL) simple syrup (rich simple is preferred for consistency)
1 egg white
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into the shaker and dry shake (shake without ice to emulsify). Then, shake again with ice to dilute the drink and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Then enjoy!
Although the whiskey sour might seem to some people a mystery, it truly is one of the great building blocks of American cocktail culture.
Cheers.
Jonathan Echavarria 