Revisiting A Classic -- Whiskey Sour

[BHAppeal]

While posting on another thread about classic cocktails to try, I mentioned a a whiskey sour made with real lemon juice instead of the run-of-the-mill sweet & sour most bars use. That jogged my memory to recall how much I liked them, and how long it had been since I made one -- probably a couple of years or more. So, having lemons, sugar and Rittenhouse Rye handy, I decided to revisit the past. One ounce lemon juice, 1.75 ounces of Rye and a teaspoon of sugar (too impatient to make my own simple syrup for this one, but if I had my druthers I'd make it with 1 ounce home made simple syrup) stirred vigorously in a shaker with cracked ice strained into a chilled glass really hit the spot. A great balance of sweet and sour with the edge of the whiskey shining through. This is one of those drinks that is made so imcompetently at most bars that most people don't know what the real thing tastes like. You usually get an over-sweet, booze laden mess that leaves a lingering, unpleasant after-taste, no doubt from the multitude of additives and preservatives crammed into the commercial sweet & sour mixes most places use. The real deal is worth making -- light, clean and bracing.

[2top]

I believe the original had egg whites in it, which adds a nice froth on the surface.

[BHAppeal]

Absolutely right -- there are versions of the cocktail that include egg white, though other versions omit it. Aside from the extra effort, I've usually omitted the egg white because I find that while the foam is nice, it seems to slightly mute the acidic bite of the lemon which I like as a counterpoint to the sweetness. Just personal taste though -- others may feel that the egg white gives the drink balance. Either way, fresh lemon juice is the key -- Death to commercial bottled sweet & sour!

[negronilover]

Amazing too, how many people have never tasted a real one. When I switched our bar to fresh juices, I put a whiskey sour on our specialty cocktail list as, "The Best Whiskey Sour in Louisville." People have been loving it and acting like we've somehow reinvented this drink. It suprises them when I tell them how simple it is to make, but at least it spreads the fresh juice gospel.

[thinkemm]

Try without egg whites but *with* Meyer Lemons. This key citric fruit I think makes a killer Sour.

[StriperGuy]

Yah, I've been on a Rum Collins run lately and fresh lemon is key. I occasionally make my sours with meyers lemons and it does rock. Try zesting the lemon first and adding that, then shake the crap out of it, the bruised up lemon zest adds a nice dimension.

Here is a post on sours from last year:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6281...

I'm NOT an egg white fan, don't like that slippery mouth feel.