A great Whiskey Sour recipe is made by getting all the ingredients to balance perfectly in a sweet yet tangy classic cocktail that is not too cloying or too biting.
Plus, for a homemade cocktail, you really don’t want to fuss too much, simple ingredients with an easy delivery, and you have the perfect summer porch sipper, but I love this cocktail at any time of the year.
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What is a Whiskey Sour?
There are a few things for me in making a great Whiskey Sour; one is fresh ingredients. Buy some oranges and lemons. They will make the world of difference to your drink than using juices that are bottled or from concentrate. You only need a few ounces, so it really is not a labor-intensive mission either. An old-fashioned glass citrus juicer does the trick in no time.
Secondly, I much prefer a Canadian rye whiskey to bourbon for this cocktail. Don’t get me wrong, I am a bourbon girl through and through for a Manhattan and many other cocktails, but the rye whiskey just works for this recipe. The bourbon seems to overpower it.
Canadian rye whiskey
Freshly squeezed orange juice
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Simple syrup*
Orange peel (just the outer skin, not the white part of the peel)
Maraschino cherry (optional)
How To Make A Whiskey Sour
A Whiskey Sour is one of the easiest mixed drinks you can make. The sweet and sour mix of ingredients is just perfect.
Using a potato peeler or sharp knife, peel a 2-inch strip from the outside of an orange.
Pinch the peel to release the oils and drop into an old-fashioned glass.
Take a rock glass half-filled with ice.
Measure out the whiskey and pour over the ice.
Measure out the fresh orange juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup and pour into the glass.
Stir gently to mix and enjoy!!
Alternatively, you can dry shake and pour over ice or add ice and shake too.
What is Simple Syrup?
*Simple syrup, as the name applies, is a simple concoction of sugar and water.
To make the simple syrup, place 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring up to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Allow to cool. You can store the simple syrup in a container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Perfect for all your summer cocktail making!
Is a Whiskey Sour the Same as an Old-Fashioned?
A Whiskey Sour as shown to you today, can come in other versions too. Take away the orange juice and add a bit of egg white and shake in a cocktail shaker to cause it to foam and serve straight up.
For a bunch of reasons, many people don’t want to do the egg white, so I like our version the best, and wow, does it taste good too.
An Old-Fashioned cocktail is garnished with an orange, but there is no orange or lemon juice in the drink. It is sweetened with simple syrup, and bitters are also added to the bourbon. This is more of a straight-up cocktail as opposed to a mixed drink like the Whiskey Sour.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
- 2 ounces good Canadian rye whisky
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup*
- 2- inch piece of orange peel just the outer skin, not the white part of the peel
Instructions
- Using a potato peeler or sharp knife, peel a 2-inch strip from the outside of an orange.
- Pinch the peel to release the oils and drop into an old-fashioned glass.
- Take a rock glass half-filled with ice.
- Measure out the whisky and pour over the ice.
- Measure out the fresh orange juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup and pour into the glass.
- Stir gently to mix and enjoy!!
- Alternatively, you can dry shake and pour over ice or add ice and shake too.
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