Whiskey Sour

This Whiskey Sour is a vibrant cocktail made with smooth bourbon whiskey and fresh lemon juice. Perfect as an accompaniment for a meal or to sip all on its own. This cocktail, made with 4 ingredients you’ll already have at home, it’s begging to fill your glass.

Who else is obsessed with citrus? It’s the perfect refreshment on a warm day. Or, even a reminder of a summer day when the weather says otherwise. There’s a reason this bright and incredibly simple drink has rung popular for 150 years.

While there are versions of sours made with pretty much every type of liquor, whiskey has come out on top. The smooth flavor balances so beautifully with all that lemon juice, and sweetened just a bit with simple syrup.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling for to the recipe card for the full list of ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

• Whiskey
• Lemon – Grab a couple fresh lemons so you can have juice and garnish.
• Simple syrup – Check your local coffee shop or grocery store for this. To make your own, add equal parts water and granulated sugar to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all the sugar dissolves. Take the mixture off the heat and allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes.
• Egg white – Either from a fresh egg or carton.
• Ice cubes
• Cherry – For garnish, either a maraschino or bourbon cherry will work.

How to make a whiskey sour

1. Shake it up: Add the whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds.
2. Serve: Strain the contents into a rocks glass or coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry and lemon round.

What type of whiskey should I use?

Like many whiskey cocktails, this recipe is traditionally made with bourbon. It has smooth flavor and is very easy to sip. It’s incredibly versatile; a flavor chameleon.

Since this cocktail is flavored with lemon, you really can use any type of whiskey you have handy, or prefer. Scotch, Irish, Canadian, Tennessee, Japanese, malt, rye. Your drink, your rules!

Why egg white in a whiskey sour?

I know using raw egg in any recipe can spark concern! You absolutely don’t have to use egg if it makes you uncomfortable. If you’re curious about why a whiskey sour uses egg and would like to try it out yourself, keep reading!

The possibility of a raw egg making you sick actually comes from the bacteria on the outside of the shell- not from the egg inside. To mitigate this issue, you can use pasteurized eggs.

Egg whites are used traditionally in whiskey sours to give them the classic foam on top of the drink, and almost creamy consistency as you sip, balancing out the lemon.

How to pasteurize eggs

If you would like to use pasteurized eggs but can’t find any at the grocery store, you can make your own. Add room-temperature eggs to a pot, cover with water, and add an instant-read thermometer to the side of the pot. Bring the temperature to 140F (60C). Watch carefully to make sure the temperature doesn’t go past 145F (63C) for 5 minutes. Rinse the eggs with cold water.

Looking for more fun cocktail recipes? Try these:

• Cosmopolitan Cocktail
• Grasshopper Cocktail
• Manhattan Drink
• Margarita
• Mojito Recipe
• Pomegranate Elderflower Spritz
• Piña Colada