Whiskey Cocktails: Rye Whiskey
Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
2 oz. Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
0.75 oz. Simple syrup
0.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
1 Egg white
Garnish
none
Preparation
Separate the egg whites from the yolk and place the whites in a shaker. Add the remaining ingredients. Combine tins without ice and shake hard for fifteen seconds. Add ice and shake very hard. Fine strain into a coupe or stemmed glass and add ice if desired. Allow the meringue from the egg to rise to the top and set in a thick layer. Garnish with expressed lemon oil if desired.
Cocktail Story
Formally introduced to the drinking populace in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 guide How to Mix Drinks, or The Bonvivant’s Companion, the Whiskey Sour is such a ubiquitous workhorse of a cocktail that it has survived several generations of bastardizations. Like the Daiquiri, it likely has roots in seafaring journeys. Also, like the Daiquiri, the core elements of the Whiskey Sour are so simple that seemingly any mix of citrus and brown booze might dare take its name. The original was likely made with rye whiskey, without the addition of egg white, but soda water, which most bartenders must have decided was a terrible idea, since it was removed in subsequent recorded recipes. While eggs were essential to drinks like nogs and flips, its role in a sour largely remained a matter of personal preference. Having survived the creative abuses of both prohibition and the cocktail dark ages of the 80’s, the Whiskey Sour largely remains an “egg white optional” order, but we would recommend it - whether using bourbon or rye, it works wonders in foregrounding the base spirit while imparting a velvety texture on the cocktail.