Whiskey Sour Cocktail

The Whiskey Sour belongs to the family of "sours", a simple but versatile cocktail category. The basic principle is always the same: a base spirit meets fresh lemon juice and a sweetening component. This simple recipe guarantees a harmonious balance of flavours - without one ingredient becoming too dominant. The Whiskey Sour in particular epitomises this balance in a classic way, making it the perfect basis for numerous variations such as the Irish Whiskey Sour.

The Whiskey Sour was invented at the end of the 19th century and, along with the Old Fashioned, is one of the world's first cocktails. In 1862, Jerry Thomas first described a precursor recipe in his Bartender's Guide, the "Whiskey Crusta", which combined bourbon, sugar syrup and lemon. A little later, around 1870, the name Whiskey Sour officially appeared in US newspapers.

Originally, the mixture of bourbon, sugar syrup and lemon juice was probably intended to make bad whiskey drinkable. This is no longer necessary today - nowadays, high-quality bourbons and the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity are deliberately used to conjure up a full-bodied, elegant whiskey sour.

Back in the early 19th century, sailors on long voyages combined whiskey with lemon juice and sugar to prevent scurvy - the first "Whiskey Sour" was born as a pragmatic "vitamin cocktail".

You will need a jigger, which is a bar measure that you can use to measure the quantities, a cocktail shaker and finally a glass. You can serve the short drink in a compact tumbler, a so-called old fashioned glass or in a cocktail bowl.

A skewered cocktail cherry makes a good decoration, but pieces of lemon and orange as well as zest are also common.

For all you vegans out there, you don't have to leave out the egg white foam. You can replace it with Fee Foam. This alternative is neutral in flavour and develops the foam by shaking. Or for the more adventurous among you: use aquafaba , which is chickpea water; in this case, approx. 30 ml is equivalent to one egg white.

Whether classic or in creative variations - this cocktail impressively demonstrates how maximum enjoyment can be achieved with minimum effort.

Boston Sour: A dash of egg white creates a creamy, frothy texture.
New York Sour: Top off the drink with a spoonful of red wine for an elegant two-layered effect
California Sour: Give the classic whiskey sour a fruity freshness with a splash of orange juice.
Rye Whiskey Sour: Use rye whiskey instead of bourbon for a peppery, spicy flavour.
Irish Whiskey Sour: Swap bourbon for Irish whiskey for a mild, floral character.

No. The base of both mixed drinks is whiskey with sugar syrup, but the third (and perhaps fourth) ingredient makes the difference. While the Whiskey Sour consists of two parts lemon juice, the Old Fashioned only contains 2-3 dashes of flavoured bitters. The optional egg white is also not used in this drink. The Old Fashioned therefore concentrates more on the whiskey itself. This is also reflected in the common practice of using rye whiskey as the base.