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Sour

Style

A sour is a spirit shaken with citrus and sugar, and sometimes with egg white for a foamy top.

Also called: sour cocktail

Base spirit
2 oz (60 ml)
Citrus
0.75 oz (22 ml) lemon or lime juice
Sweetener
0.75 oz (22 ml) simple syrup
First record
1856, a Toronto saloon's drinks list
First printed recipe
Jerry Thomas's Bar-Tender's Guide, 1862
Formula
2 oz (60 ml) spirit, 0.75 oz (22 ml) lemon or lime juice, 0.75 oz (22 ml) simple syrup; egg white optional

What sour means

Think of the sour as a template more than one fixed drink. Whiskey Sour, Daiquiri and Gimlet all follow it: a spirit, a citrus and a sweetener, shaken with ice and strained. Change the base and the name often changes too. Learn the template once and most sour-style menus make sense.

On a menu, look for a spirit name followed by sour, such as Whiskey Sour, Pisco Sour or Amaretto Sour. The drink arrives either up in a coupe or over ice in an old-fashioned glass. If the menu does not say, ask whether you get it up or over ice.

It sounds right that every sour needs egg white. It is optional. Egg white adds foam and a softer texture, but a sour is only spirit, citrus and sugar, so leave it out and you still have a sour.

How to make a sour

You need three ingredients, a shaker and a strainer, and nothing more for a basic sour.

  1. 1.Add 2 oz (60 ml) spirit, 0.75 oz (22 ml) lemon or lime juice and 0.75 oz (22 ml) simple syrup to a shaker.
  2. 2.For foam, add egg white and dry shake it first, with no ice.
  3. 3.Add ice and shake hard until the tin feels very cold.
  4. 4.Strain into a chilled coupe, or over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass.
  5. 5.Use fresh or pasteurized eggs, because raw egg carries a small salmonella risk.

Sour compared

  • DaisyA daisy takes its sweetness from orange liqueur or grenadine, not plain syrup, and may get a splash of soda.
  • FizzA fizz is a sour shaken and strained into a glass with no ice, then topped with soda.
  • CollinsA collins lengthens a sour with soda and serves it long over ice.
  • Sour mixSour mix is a bottled or batched blend of citrus and sugar. A sour made to order uses fresh juice and syrup.

Examples

  • Whiskey Sour
  • Pisco Sour
  • Amaretto Sour
  • New York Sour
  • Daiquiri
  • Gimlet
  • Bee's Knees
  • Clover Club

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.

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