I have spent a lot of time making cocktails at home, experimenting with different whiskeys and adjusting classic recipes to suit my own tastes.
Part of that interest began during my years managing a whisky shop. Customers would often ask how to make particular cocktails, and I wanted to be able to give them a useful answer. That meant doing some “market research” at my favorite bars, asking plenty of questions and, most importantly, tasting the results.
After plenty of experimentation, this is my personal recipe for a Bourbon Sour.00The Best Beginner Bourbon? Maker’s Mark, Bulleit, & Buffalo Trace Go Head-To-Head
What Is a Bourbon Sour?
A Bourbon Sour is a variation on the classic Whiskey Sour, made using bourbon as its base spirit. It combines bourbon whiskey, fresh lemon juice, and sugar syrup, with egg white often added to create a smooth texture and frothy head.
Using bourbon gives the drink a deeper, richer flavor, with its notes of vanilla, caramel and oak balancing the sharpness of the lemon. Depending on the bottle you choose, rye spice can also help cut through the sweetness and add more complexity.
Bourbon Sour Recipe
Ingredients
You will need:
- 50ml bourbon
- 25ml fresh lemon juice
- 12.5ml sugar syrup
- Approximately 25ml egg white
- Ice
- Angostura bitters
For equipment, you will need a cocktail shaker, a strainer and a tumbler or rocks glass. You could also use something stemmed if you want the finished drink to look a little prettier.
Method
Step 1: Chill Your Glass
Put your glass in the freezer. To quote one of my favorite Instagram cocktail accounts: “Have some class and freeze your glass.”
It really does make a difference. Trust me.
Step 2: Add the Ingredients
Measure out 50ml of bourbon. I am using Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old, but you can use whichever bottle you prefer.
Add the bourbon to your shaker with 25ml of fresh lemon juice and 12.5ml of sugar syrup.
Next comes the slightly tricky part. Separate the egg white from the yolk using either the shell or a strainer, making sure you collect around 25ml of egg white. Add this to the shaker.
Step 3: The Dry Shake
Shake all of the ingredients together without ice.
This is known as a dry shake. It helps the egg white, lemon juice and sugar syrup combine, creating the frothy head that sits on top of the finished drink.
Hold the shaker tightly, as the contents will want to escape. Shake for around 30 seconds.
Step 4: The Wet Shake
Open the shaker and you should see a nicely aerated, frothy mixture.
Add ice and shake again for around 30 seconds.
Step 5: Double-Strain the Drink
Take your glass out of the freezer and strain the cocktail into it using both the shaker’s built-in strainer and a fine strainer.
This double-straining method catches any small pieces of lemon or egg white while also helping to create a smoother drink and a better head.
Step 6: Add the Bitters
The drink will need a little time to settle, much like a pint of Guinness. It should not take long.
Once the foam has settled, place three drops of Angostura bitters on top so that they form the points of a triangle. Take a cocktail stick, or something similarly fine, and drag it through the droplets to create a simple decoration.
No garnish is required. Just sit back and enjoy this nutty, lemony and sweet style of sour, preferably in the sunshine.
What Is a New York Sour?
A New York Sour uses the same basic recipe, but instead of decorating the foam with bitters, you float a small amount of red wine on top of the drink. Shiraz and Malbec both work well.
The wine creates an impressive layered appearance, although the flavor can divide opinion. It is certainly worth trying, but I could not see myself drinking too many of them.
The Best Bourbons for a Bourbon Sour
The best bourbon will always come down to personal preference, but I generally recommend using something bottled at a minimum of 45% ABV. The extra strength helps the whiskey’s flavors stand up to the lemon juice, sugar, and egg white.
Woodford Reserve is bottled at 43.2% ABV in the UK, but it remains a great option when it comes to both flavor and affordability.
I used Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old in the recipe above, while Wild Turkey 101 is another brilliant choice if you want to encourage those big lemon notes in the finished cocktail.
For something a little fancier, try Four Roses Single Barrel or Eagle Rare 10 Year Old. Four Roses produces a spicier, richer drink, while Eagle Rare provides a more subtle and complex result.
Should You Use Sour Mix?
Just don’t use it. This is not a snobbery thing. Sour mix can be useful in certain situations, but fresh lemon juice will give you a better and more balanced cocktail.
If you are making a large number of Bourbon Sours for an event, buy plenty of lemons, squeeze them in advance and strain the juice to remove any pulp before bottling it.
The additional sugar in premade sour mix can throw off the balance of the recipe. It is much better to know exactly what is going into your drink.
Final Thoughts
The Bourbon Sour is a simple variation on a classic cocktail, but it is also a great way to explore the differences between bourbons.
Trying the recipe with several bottles can highlight how different levels of sweetness, oak and spice influence the final drink. It is essentially home research and development, which is all part of the fun.
Read the full article at How To Make A Bourbon Sour, From A Former Whisky Shop Manager
