Whisky Sour: A Classic Cocktail for National Whisky Sour Day

It's National Whisky Sour Day on August 25th so we're celebrating the day, as we always do, with the day's classic cocktail. If you've never tried a whisky sour, then it looks like August 25^th is the day. A few simple ingredients are all you need to make this classically simple blend of 4 ingredients.

Sours are a Class of Cocktails

The Whisky Sour is in a class of cocktails called Sours that consist of a base liquor, citrus (lemon or lime), a sweetener such as simple syrup or sugar, and often, egg white. Other sours would include the margarita and the daiquiri.

Simple to make, yet delicious because the rich sweet flavors of rum, bourbon, brandy, and other liquors pair very well with the bright zip you get from fresh lemon or lime. The frothy egg white mutes some of the heat of the alcohol, and adds texture and a creamy mouthfeel. There's no dairy in it, but you could call it a whisky milkshake!

This cocktail is easy to make, but slightly more advanced due to the incorporation of egg white. The egg white is optional, but recommended to give the characteristic creamy mouthfeel that makes this cocktail unique. I also adds a thick layer of foam that's visually appealing and makes this cocktail look extra fancy.

How to Incorporate Egg White Into a Cocktail

It's quite easy to incorporate egg whites into your cocktail. In order to get the most foam I recommend using the Reverse Dry Shake.

The Dry Shake is a technique where you shake the cocktail at room temperature, without ice. Not really dry, but that's what it's called. After the dry shake, you add ice and do a second shake the way you normally would to cool the drink and dilute it.

The Reverse Dry Shake is where you shake the cocktail ingredients as you normally would, with ice. You then strain the cocktail, dump the ice and then do a second shake at the end, without ice. In our case, we'll omit the egg white from the first shake, only adding it for the dry shake, after the ice is discarded. This way, the drink is not cooled and diluted any more allowing the egg whites to achieve the maximum amount of froth.

Which to use, the dry shake, or the reverse dry shake? Both methods work well. The dry shake is easier because you do not need to transfer the cocktail and dump the ice. Both result in thick foam, but some mixologists argue that the foam is better with the reverse dry shake but the dry shake results in a creamier cocktail.

I find that the reverse dry shake results in more foam. With the dry shake, some of the foam gets hung up on the ice and never makes it into the glass.

Try both methods and see which gives you prefer. We did the reverse dry shake and it worked out just fine as you can see from the pictures. If you're doing the reverse dry shake you'll need a Boston Shaker, or a glass to transfer the chilled ingredients between shakes.

Using Raw Eggs Can be Intimidating

I understand if you're still concerned about adding raw egg to your cocktail. The idea of drinking raw egg may not sound very appetizing, but a small amount of frothed raw egg white really does improve this cocktail. If you're concerned about the smell, or flavor, don't be. The egg does not alter the taste or smell.

What About Salmonella?

I'm not a health care professional, and make no claims about the safety of eating raw egg whites, except to say that the risk is very low. Be sure to use fresh eggs that have been stored in the refrigerator, and wash them before use. Do not use eggs with cracked shells.

If you're still concerned you can also purchase pasteurized eggs, which have been heated to kill any bacteria. You can also use pasteurized egg white Egg Beaters, which have the added advantages of saving you the time and effort of separating the whites from the yolks, and having leftover egg yolks that now need a home.

But I Don't Eat Eggs

If you do not eat eggs, that's OK, you can still achieve the same foamy, creamy cocktail by replacing the egg white with aquafaba. Aquafaba is the leftover liquid from cooked chick peas. You can make it by cooking chick peas and reserving the liquid, or just use the liquid from a can of chick peas.

I would recommend the canned chick pea liquid for simplicity, and it would probably work better in a cocktail because it already thicker than water leftover from cooking chick peas yourself. If you're vegan and already cook chick peas as part of your normal diet, then there's a good chance you already use aquafaba anyway, so now you have another use for it.

Variations on the Whisky Sour

This is the classic International Bartenders Association (IBA) recipe using only bourbon, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and frothed egg white. Many recipes you'll see online contain additional ingredients such as bitters, and salt, but you'll be drinking this cocktail so, as always, feel free to modify the recipe to your taste. Experiment a little bit to learn what flavor combinations you prefer.

Some variations on the whisky sour include:

New York Sour: Layer a splash of red wine on top. The New York Sour is so popular it is also an IBA official cocktail on the 'New Era Drinks' list.

Maple Syrup Sour: Use maple syrup instead of simple syrup for the sweetener.

Honey Whisky Sour: Swap out the simple syrup for honey as the sweetener for a different flavor profile.

Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour: A beautiful cocktail made with orange juice and Grand Marnier with cranberry juiced layered on top.

Whisky Sour Ingredients

Whiskey: Most people will use a good high strength bourbon for the whisky sour. In this case, since I support local when I can, I've used a bourbon style Canadian whisky from our local distillery, Manns. Their whisky is made from Ontario corn, wheat, and rye and aged in a combination of new Canadian oak, new American oak, and used bourbon barrels and bottled at 45% ABV.

Lemon juice: Use only fresh squeezed lemon juice, not the bottled stuff. 

Simple syrup: A little sweetness from the simple syrup balances the acidity of the lemon juice. As with all cocktails, balance is key.

Egg white: As discussed above, the egg white is optional, but really does make this cocktail better. I encourage you to give it a try.

Orange and maraschino cherry: A half slice of orange and a maraschino cherry on the edge of the glass look great, and taste great when added to the drink.