Vodka Sour

A Vodka Sour is a classic cocktail and an essential for any home bartender – part of the Sours family alongside the Whiskey Sour, the original sour that inspired them all. Made with vodka, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white, shaken and fine strained into a rocks glass – same timeless formula, just with vodka in place of whiskey.

Sweet, tart and perfectly balanced – fresh lemon juice and simple syrup doing the work up front, with egg white adding a frothy, creamy head and delightful silky texture that makes the whole drink feel special.

What sets the Vodka Sour apart from a Whiskey Sour or Amaretto Sour is the vodka itself. Where other spirits take centre stage, vodka plays a supporting role – clean, smooth and subtle enough to let the lemon and sweetness shine, while still giving the drink its backbone.

To talk about the history of the Vodka Sour, or any Sour for that matter, we have to go back to the Whiskey Sour.

The first record of a Sour cocktail appears in 1856, with the Whiskey Sour being one of the earliest. In fact, the first written mention of a Whiskey Sour appeared in a Wisconsin newspaper in 1870, but it’s believed that sailors may have consumed it before that. The original Whiskey Sour recipe included Whiskey, Simple Syrup, and Lemon Juice. The addition of Egg White dates back to before 1922, where it was mentioned in a cocktail book.

The basic recipe for a Sour includes a base spirit (e.g. Gin, Vodka, Whiskey), citrus (e.g. Lemon or Lime Juice), and sweetener (e.g. Honey, Simple Syrup, Agave etc.). So, while the Whiskey Sour was arguably the first, over time, the “Sour family of cocktails” has seen countless variations, including the Pisco Sour, Amaretto Sour, and New York Sour, to name just a few. 

As Vodka gained popularity in the 20th century, bartenders started incorporating it into classic recipes, giving rise to the Vodka Sour.

• Wet shake, then dry shake
  Rico recommends starting with a wet shake – shaking the ingredients with ice – then straining out the ice and shaking again without it. As Rico explains, “you want to emulsify the proteins to achieve a velvety, thick, creamy texture with a nice head.” This method also eliminates the need for fine straining, since the ice has already been removed – pour directly from the shaker into the rocks glass.
• Add two or three dashes of aromatic bitters
  As Rico puts it, “the aromatic bitters are going to give you some freshness, some nice clove essence. Basically, it smells and tastes like Christmas.” Hard to argue with that.
• Sweeten to your liking
  If the drink is too tart, add more simple syrup. Too sweet, increase the lemon juice or reduce the syrup. It’s your drink, after all.
• Make your own aquafaba
  If you’re using aquafaba instead of egg white, make it from scratch. Soak raw chickpeas in water overnight to hydrate them. Drain, cook the chickpeas, then strain – keeping the cooking liquid. As Rico explains, “put that cooking liquid back on heat and you want to reduce it by half, then you’re going to have aquafaba.” Worth the effort.

Being that the Vodka Sour belongs to the sour family of cocktails, you could more or less follow the same recipe for a Vodka Sour and then simply swap out the spirit for another of your choice (i.e. gin, bourbon, pisco and so on). Here are a couple of our favorite vodka sour variations with mango vodka.

• Mango Sour
  This sour variation follows the exact same recipe as the one on this page but uses Absolut Mango (mango-flavored vodka) instead and is then garnished with a mango wedge to add a delicious tropical twist.The smoothness of mango works so well with the luscious creaminess provided by the egg whites (or aquafaba). Exotic and delicious,Here’s how to make a Mango Sour.
• Cinnamango Sour
  Take the Mango Sour above, add a pinch of cinnamon, then garnish with a mango wedge and a cinnamon cane. What you get is flavors of zesty lemon, soft, juicy mango and the spiciness of cinnamon. Don’t miss our Sour Cocktail Collection, where we highlight 10 sours every home bartender needs to know how to make.

• Glassware
  Serve in a rocks glass with one large ice cube in the bottom – the natural home for any Sour and the best way to keep the drink cold without over-diluting it.
• Classic garnish
  A lemon wedge and a fresh cherry – the classic Sours combination and the right call every time. Simple, elegant and exactly what the drink needs.
• Aromatic bitters A couple of dashes of aromatic bitters on the frothy head – more decoration than garnish, but as Rico noted in the tips section, they add a clove-like complexity that makes the drink feel complete.