Good afternoon gents. I made up the first of the whiskey sour mix this afternoon and I'm imbibing as I type. I squeezed fresh lemon juice for this and made simple syrup. As far as I am concerned, with lemons being a couple of dollars a pound, this is the only way to go. The crisp tartness of the freshly squeezed juice makes the bottle variety pale in comparison. I used Pat's 1-1 simple syrup formula and picked up a 750ml bottle of Weller's seven year old bourbon. I really did not want to keep the lemon juice separate from the syrup so I mixed in exactly half the amount of lemon juice with syrup. A 2-1 ratio. Trouble is, I wasn't sure how this would measure out to Pat's 3-2-1 formula. So I tried a measured 2oz. of bourbon with 2oz. of the mix. This is supposed to be shaken with ice but since I don't have a shaker(please feel free to give opinions about a brand of shaker) I filled a large tumbler with ice and mixed the ingredients in it. I strained the mix into a 6oz. juice glass and this is about the perfect size.
Two things come to mind straight away. First is that when these forum mixologists tell you to measure your ingredients, DO IT! I have the neatest little measuring glass you could ever want. It is a pyrex and it looks like a large shot glass. It holds 4oz/120ml/8Tbsp. It has the different measurements on three sides of the glass. Very handy for baking, cooking, or mixing drinks. It made getting a decent starting ration easy. You don't have to be fanatic but a basic sense of proportion will go a long way toward a better tasting, more balanced drink. Second. My take on the sour was that it was just the slightest bit boozy. I don't know whether it wanted a bit more sweetness to cut the alcohol or if it just needed more mix in the ratio. The next one will go 2oz. of bourbon and 3oz. of the mix. Just to see if it makes the proper difference. I am hesitant to add more syrup. Drinks go from sweet to sticky, gooey, cloying, nasty, stomach wrenching foo foo stuff pretty fast. I would rather try the higher ratio of mix to bourbon first.
Some other thoughts. I bought the Weller because it is A; very reasonable, B; available, and C; because bourbon is so ubiquitously American. It was not bad but I wonder if after experimentation I should try one of the ryes? The Pikesville was available and pretty reasonable. I will keep you posted on the sours. It is hard duty but I am happy to oblige.
Regards, Todd
Two things come to mind straight away. First is that when these forum mixologists tell you to measure your ingredients, DO IT! I have the neatest little measuring glass you could ever want. It is a pyrex and it looks like a large shot glass. It holds 4oz/120ml/8Tbsp. It has the different measurements on three sides of the glass. Very handy for baking, cooking, or mixing drinks. It made getting a decent starting ration easy. You don't have to be fanatic but a basic sense of proportion will go a long way toward a better tasting, more balanced drink. Second. My take on the sour was that it was just the slightest bit boozy. I don't know whether it wanted a bit more sweetness to cut the alcohol or if it just needed more mix in the ratio. The next one will go 2oz. of bourbon and 3oz. of the mix. Just to see if it makes the proper difference. I am hesitant to add more syrup. Drinks go from sweet to sticky, gooey, cloying, nasty, stomach wrenching foo foo stuff pretty fast. I would rather try the higher ratio of mix to bourbon first.
Some other thoughts. I bought the Weller because it is A; very reasonable, B; available, and C; because bourbon is so ubiquitously American. It was not bad but I wonder if after experimentation I should try one of the ryes? The Pikesville was available and pretty reasonable. I will keep you posted on the sours. It is hard duty but I am happy to oblige.
Regards, Todd