Throwback Thursday: The Whiskey Sour

Photo credit: Barbara Bonisolli/StockFood 

Tis the season of touch and go weather, sweet and sour thoughts. It’s moody weather for moody cocktails.

So drink the drink that’s been a hit in America ever since it made a cameo right alongside the slings and juleps, fizzes and daisies of the 19th century: the whiskey sour. Our man David Wondrich has called the concoction the fried-egg sandwich of American mixology, by which we think he means: It is as popular (and as simple!) today as ever.

And for good reason. Whiskey sours employ only whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar. Shaken together, the citrus tarts up the liquor, the sugar takes the edge off, and the whole gets a good, frothy texture. We like ours with maraschino cherries, but you don’t need them. Try to avoid using a sour mix; it will overwhelm whatever good old-fashioned American whiskey you’ve put into your glass. (And, thank goodness, you can avoid the limepocalypse because you don’t need limes.)

Wondrich’s recipe hews closely to O.H. Byron’s 1884 book, The Bartender’s Guide, proving it’s often the simplest things that have the most staying power.

This recipe is served up, but you can also drink it on the rocks.

Whiskey Sour

Adapted from David Wondrich, Esquire.com
Makes one cocktail

1 tsp superfine sugar
¾ oz lemon juice
2 oz American whiskey

1. Stir sugar and lemon juice together in a cocktail shaker. (It’s easier to dissolve the sugar without the booze.)

2. Add whiskey.

3. Fill shaker with ice, shake like a jackhammer operator, and strain into chilled cocktail coupe. Drink.