Average
Sour & Frothy
4 Minutes
Rocks Glass
Ingredients
”The Whiskey Sour is the monarch of the sours cocktail family, a classic with a rich history and countless variations,” explains Michael Bergström, Drinks Expert at Bartenders’ Choice Awards.
Popular during the Prohibition era and still one of the most beloved cocktails today, the Whiskey Sour has earned its place in cocktail history. So much so that National Whiskey Sour Day is celebrated annually in the U.S.
Made with bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white, shaken and strained into a rocks glass or coupe glass, finished with a lemon twist, a cherry and a couple of dashes of aromatic bitters. It’s a cocktail that deserves every bit of that celebration.
How To Make a Whiskey Sour Cocktail
Bar tools you’ll need
Fine Strainer
Jigger
Knife
Boston Shaker
How to Mix
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Use a Jigger to measure and pour Egg White (or Aquafaba) into the smaller tin of your Boston Shaker, followed by Simple Syrup.
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Cut a Lemon in half and use a Citrus Elbow to extract the juice into the Jigger, then pour the correct measurement into your Shaker.
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Measure and pour Bourbon Whiskey into the Shaker.
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Fill the Shaker with Ice Cubes and shake until chilled.
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Separate the Boston Shaker and place a Hawthorne Strainer over the larger tin to strain out the Ice into the smaller tin. Discard the Ice.
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Reassemble the Boston Shaker and shake again, this time without Ice.
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Pour the mixture directly into a Rocks Glass.
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Take a Peeler and peel a Lemon Zest, then press the Peel over your drink to release the oils before placing it gently into your drink.
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Place one Fresh Cherry on a Cocktail Pick, then lay it across your Glass.
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Add a couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters.
All about the Whiskey Sour
The Whiskey Sour is a classic cocktail and pioneer that has inspired countless other Sours. More than 150 years old, it remains one of the most popular cocktails around today – a testament to how rarely a truly great drink needs to change.
At its core, the Whiskey Sour invented the classic sour formula – spirit, citrus and sweetener. Every sour that followed owes something to it. Bourbon is the traditional choice, but rye whiskey works well too and gives the drink a spicier, drier character. The formula is simple; the result is anything but.
The Whiskey Sour Ratio
Our recipe follows the classic sour balance of spirit, citrus and sweetener – roughly two parts bourbon to one part fresh lemon juice and three-quarters of a part simple syrup, with a third of a part egg white for the foam. Many bartenders work to a 2:1:¾ ratio as a starting point, while others simplify to a 3:2:1 build – three of whiskey, two of lemon, one of simple syrup – adjusting from there to find their preferred balance.
The Whiskey Sour tastes rich, tart and beautifully balanced. The bourbon brings warm notes of caramel, vanilla and oak, sharpened by the acidity of fresh squeezed lemon juice and rounded out by simple syrup. The egg white adds a silky, frothy texture that takes the drink to another level entirely.
An originator and a game changer, the Whiskey Sour is truly one of the best cocktails you’ll ever taste.
The Whiskey Sour first appears in print in 1870, making it one of the earliest sours on record, with the broader sour category documented from 1856.
Sailors of the 1880s are believed to have mixed whiskey, citrus and sweetener on long voyages – the lemon juice making stored water more palatable and erroneously believed to prevent scurvy, though it did supply a useful dose of vitamin C.
A sour is built from a base liquor, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener such as simple syrup; some, like the Whiskey Sour, also fold in egg white. “There’s a reason people are still drinking it today. Because it’s fantastic. One of the best variations of a sour you can get,” says Ricardo ‘Rico’ Dynan, Bartender and Absolut Global Brand Ambassador.
Over time, the “Sour family of cocktails” has seen numerous interpretations, with some achieving contemporary classic status. Examples include the Pisco Sour, Amaretto Sour, Vodka Sour, Boston Sour, New York Sour, South Side, Margarita, Sidecar, Daiquiri, White Lady, Lemon Drop Martini, and Gimlet.
The original recipe for the Whiskey Sour featured whiskey, simple syrup, and lemon juice. The addition of egg white dates back to before 1922, when the author of a cocktail book published that year said that egg whites improves all sours.
- 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 the water, 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.
- Wet shake followed by a dry shake
Rico recommends a reverse dry shake for the Whiskey Sour. Shake the ingredients with ice first – the wet shake – then strain out the ice and shake again without it.As Rico puts it, “you really want to emulsify the proteins to get that texture really velvety, thick, creamy, and with a nice head.” This method also eliminates the need to fine strain, since the ice has already been removed. - Don’t skip the bitters
Two dashes of aromatic bitters on top of the foam is the finishing touch that adds complexity and depth. It also creates that distinctive pattern on the foam that makes a Whiskey Sour instantly recognizable. - Always use fresh squeezed lemon juice
Bottled lemon juice won’t cut it here. The acidity and brightness of fresh squeezed lemon juice is what makes the sour formula work and there’s no shortcut worth taking.
- New York Sour
A classic cocktail in its own right, the New York Sour follows the same recipe as the Whiskey Sour but adds a float of dry red wine. In the words of Rico, the New York Sour is “possibly one of the best cocktails ever invented.” High praise and well earned. Learn how to make a New York Sour. - Boston Sour
The Boston Sour uses the same ingredients as the Whiskey Sour but with different measurements and one key distinction – a whole egg white instead of a partial one, and no garnish or bitters. Subtle differences that result in a noticeably different drink. See how to make a Boston Sour. - Whiskey Sour in the Rough
A zesty, citrusy take on the classic – the same whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup combination, but with the addition of orange juice. The orange and bourbon combination works particularly well. Try a Whiskey Sour in the Rough. - Vodka Sour
Swap the bourbon for Absolut Vodka and you have a Vodka Sour – the same fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white, with a cleaner, more neutral base that lets the citrus take centre stage. Check out the recipe for a Vodka Sour. - Amaretto Sour
The Amaretto Sour replaces the whiskey with amaretto – a sweet, almond-flavored Italian liqueur that gives the drink a softer, more dessert-forward character than the original. One of the most popular sour variations around. Here’s how to make an Amaretto Sour.
“There are many ways to serve a Whiskey Sour – some people like it straight-up, some people like it on the rocks,” says Rico.
- On the rocks with a lemon and cherry
Serve in a rocks glass filled with ice, garnished with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry. It’s playful, elegant and the most classic presentation. - Coupe glass
Serve in a coupe glass without ice for a cleaner, more refined presentation. A couple of dashes of aromatic bitters on the frothy head – more decoration than garnish, but as Michael Bergström notes, it “adds a great elevated flavor experience drinking through it.” - Orange wedge
Prefer something a little different? An orange wedge works well as an alternative garnish – a subtle citrus variation on the classic lemon twist.
Not sure which glass to use? Here’s a guide to cocktail glassware.
Sometimes life gives you lemons and you make Whiskey Sours, so don’t stress about it. It’s one of the best variations of a sour you can get.
Bartender and Global Brand Ambassador
Whiskey Sour FAQ
Firstly, there are many types of Whiskey, and Bourbon is just one of them. You see, all Bourbon is Whiskey, but not all Whiskey is Bourbon. While all Whiskeys are made from a fermented mash of grains, Bourbon is primarily made from corn.
What are the different Whiskey types? To avoid overcomplicating things, there are essentially seven different types of Whiskey. They are: Bourbon Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Irish Whiskey, Scotch Whisky, Japanese Whisky, Canadian Whisky, and Tennessee Whiskey.
OK, so, let’s ask Michael Bergström what the best Whiskey is for a Whiskey Sour. “Any Whiskey will make a delicious Sour. However, traditionally, and according to old drink books, Whiskey Sours are made with Irish Whiskey,” he says.
“These days, Bourbon Whiskey is the most common choice, but any Whiskey will make a great sour, so choose according to personal preference,” he adds.
In the video on this page, you’ll see that Rico uses Jamesons Irish Whiskey.
Experiment. Mix it up and see which you prefer.
You’ll also notice that Whiskies from Japan, Canada, and Scotland are spelled without the ‘e’ (i.e., Whisky instead of Whiskey). The difference in spelling is said to originate from the 19th century when Irish distillers began adding an ‘e’ to “Whiskey” to distinguish their products from Scotch. Since Japanese Whisky is made similarly to Scotch Whisky, it also uses this spelling.
Yes, you can. You won’t get that nice fluffy head on your drink but it’ll still taste like a Whiskey Sour.
However, if you want to create that nice fluffy head but don’t want to use Egg White you can use Aquafaba, which is an Egg White substitute. In fact, as you’ll see in the video on this very page, Rico uses Aquafaba to make his Whiskey Sour. And it works every bit as good as Egg White.
So, how does Aquafaba work in a Whiskey Sour and what does it taste like? Let’s hand it over to Rico. “The Aquafaba gives the drink a good, heavy body. The Whiskey is perfectly blended with the Sugar and with the Lemon Juice to mellow out all the flavors so you can sip it slowly,” he says.
It’s called Simple Syrup for a reason. Boil 1 part Sugar to 1 part Water until the Sugar Granules have dissolved. And voila! Watch this video to see how to make Simple Syrup.
Both are whiskey-forward classics, but built very differently.
A Whiskey Sour balances bourbon with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white – shaken to a bright, tart, frothy finish.
An Old Fashioned skips the citrus entirely – spirit-driven, sweetened only with sugar and stirred with bitters for a rich, smooth character rather than a sharp one.
One is a sour, the other is a stirred sipper. Both are fantastic.
