What's new

Whiskey Sour - First batch

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
 
Great to hear! You can always make a slightly more sugary syrup if you want to up the sweetness without adding too much additional volume or stickiness. I just happen to prefer 1:1, but 2:1 is common too so surely something in between could potentially work out great. I do prefer my sours a little boozey, which is honestly hard to avoid when you're going with a traditional bourbon. You might find that the Rye sour tones down the boozey-ness a little, but it depends on the liquor. I've never tried Pikesville, but my Russels Reserve makes a tasty sour.

Also, you really should shake it. Shakers are not hard to come by, and not expensive, and one is as good as any other IMHO (obviously go with the metal variety, I suspect there might be some plastic ones out there). A lot of true sour purists recommend a first shake without ice to completely emulsify the drink (cold temps and excess water inhibit this process), and this is highly recommended if you add a dash of egg white for frothiness. Then slide in a handfull of ice, give 3-4 hard shakes, and pour.

I always add my syrup and lemon juice separately -- I find I usually get an ideal amount of juice (but yes, always measure... I just use a shot glass) from squeezing one lemon.
 
glad to see you're having fun! :001_smile
thoughts on a cocktail shaker: get one about 10 - 14 oz. i think that is a "standard" size. by the time you add 2 or 3 ingredients, plus mix and ice, it fills up fast.
get a metal one. that way, you can leave it in the fridge or freezer as required, and everything gets deliciously frosty :001_smile
 
Thanks for the nice replies gents. Pat I had completely forgotten about adding some egg white to the sour. Indeed, the added "body" or slight frothiness and mouth feel this would add could be a nice addition. I like the idea of shaking the ingredients to emulsify fully as well. I really hesitate to add more sugar to the mix. I probably should have kept the ingredients separated but what the heck. The wife can make lemoncellos with it if it doesn't work out. Lemons are cheap. I can squeeze up some more if necessary.

Two other things come to mind. The glassware and an added trick with the lemon juice. The six oz. juice glasses seem to be perfect for this type of drink. I have googled a good bit for whiskey sour links and almost without exception, the recommendation has been to pour the drink into a "sour glass". Usually described as a 5-7oz., small diameter, and straight sides. My glasses work perfectly.

As to the lemon juice, well that is pretty straight forward but I added a twist. I used the Microplane zester/grater to zest two or three of the lemons into a glass bowl. Then i squeezed about two pounds of lemons into the same bowl. This yielded about 1-1/3 cup of juice. I let the zest steep in the juice for 15-20 minutes to crank up the lemon flavour a bit. It worked. I strained the juice into a tall, skinny glass and added the sugar syrup. Ready to go.

Regards, Todd
 
Todd,
Very neat idea about the lemon zest, I shall try that when I next make sour mix.

As far as shakers go, you can read about them here, but I recommend the Boston Shaker, once you become proficient with it, it's quite versatile. I have a version that has a rubber ring around the glass part which makes it easier to separate the two parts. I detest the three-piece martini (Cobbler) shakers.
 
I too recommend a boston shaker. I really like mine. The glass has measurements printed on the sides, so I can fill the metal cup with ice and then measure out my liquids right there in the glass. This avoids additional jiggers, spoons or other stuff to wash. Then just dump the liquids onto the ice, shake, crack it open, and pour into your glass. This appears to be the one I have, but I don't remember it costing nearly that much. I suspect with some googling you can find a functional equivalent for a more reasonable price.
 
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.

While bourbon is my favorite spirit, I feel that is is too strongly flavored for a whiskey sour. Yes, I would try either straight rye or a blended whiskey, such as Seagrams 7. A whiskey sour also might work well with Canadian whiskey.

Tim
 
Top Bottom