Happy Hour: The Sour

A classic cocktail that can easily go very right or very wrong.

The sour is a well known drink across the world. Technically speaking it’s a family of drinks, as it refers to the way a cocktail is created, not so much the actual spirit involved. You can drink a sour with gin, whiskey, or pisco depending on your taste. Today we’re going to focus on the correct way to enjoy a whiskey sour.

We know how bad it sucks to belly up to the bar, order a sour and receive a pre-mixed, overly sweet cup of sour something or other, so we want you to know what to expect of your bartender when ordering a sour. It should arrive to you freshly made, with just a hint of sour flavor. Not enough to mask the whiskey, but just enough to combine the hot flavor of the booze with the sweet and tarty flavor of the sour combination. It’s an awesomely summery cocktail that goes well with certain foods or on it’s own, so get familiar.

We recommend ordering it up. Don’t be shy about cocktails being served in martini glasses or champagne coups, gents. The lack of ice in the cocktail will maintain the flavor profile longer.

Here’s what you need to be sure the bartender is incorporating:

1.5 oz Bourbon, preferably something like Buffalo Trace or Larceny (90+ proof)

.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.75 oz Simple Syrup

1 Freshly Cracked Egg White (some people find this strange, but it adds an excellent foamy quality while not much altering the taste)

Combine all of the ingredients (except the egg white) in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain the contents into another cocktail shaker without ice and add the egg white. Shake these contents again, this is called a “Dry Shake”, and strain the contents into a champagne coup or rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist and a cherry.

#EnjoyResponsibly

header image via punchdrink.com

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