Whiskey Sour Two Ways (With and Without Egg White)
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain
“Happiness is having a rare steak, a bottle of whisky, and a dog to eat the rare steak.” – Johnny Carson
My husband has recently discovered his hidden love for bourbon. I say “hidden” because he didn’t discover that he actually enjoys it until he was 40. Oh a date night a few years ago, encouraged him to try something new and he chose whiskey sour. He fell in love with it immediately and of course, I added it to my cocktail menu.
Of course, I learned a lot about it and experimented until we were happy with the recipe. When I was bartering, we had to follow specs and that didn’t leave much room for creativity. (At least that’s the way it was in my bar.) At home though, I can play around with alcohol amounts in each cocktail to come up with the best tasting results.
I found that the best results come from having the best bourbon whiskey, fresh lemon juice, and just a little squeeze of fresh orange juice. If you can get your hands on a Mayer lemon, that will be perfect in a whiskey sour.
Ingredient Notes and Options
Bourbon whiskey – most whiskey sour cocktails are made with bourbon. It’s has a sweeter flavor profile and balances very nicely with the sourness of fresh lemon juice. You can always use your preferred whiskey though. Remember: your cocktails is as good as your alcohol of choice, so choose the one you like the best.
Fresh lemon juice – I highly recommend that you get lemons and squeeze out fresh lemon juice instead of pre-bottled one. Mayer lemons are amazing in this cocktail. (In my experience, bottled lemon juice is too tart and sour from being processed and sitting on store’s shelves for a long time.)
Simple syrup – if you make cocktails often, make a large batch of simple syrup and keep it in the refrigerator. I make my simple syrup in 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. Simple syrup should last up to a month in the refrigerator.
*Egg White – egg whites make this cocktail smooth and frothy, plus it helps balance out the tartness of the fresh lemon juice. People either love egg white in a whiskey sour or they can’t stand the thought of the raw egg. If you’re on the fence about the raw egg, you can get small organic pasteurized eggs or get pasteurized egg whites in a carton and use about a tablespoon per cocktail.
*Raw Egg Warning: Consuming raw or under-cooked eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness.
How To Make Whiskey Sour (No Egg)
You can serve this cocktail straight or on the rocks. If you plan to serve it straight, chill the glasses first.
- Use a vegetables peeler to peel the outer layer of the orange, without the white rind, and twist it tight to squeeze the natural oils from the orange. Rub the orange twist over the rim of the glass.
- Combine fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, splash of fresh orange juice, and bourbon in a cocktail shaker. Add a few ice cubes and shake vigorously.
- Add a few ice cubes to the glass if desired, pour the cocktail into the glass through a strainer, and enjoy.
How To Make Whiskey Sour With Egg Whites
Whiskey sour made with egg white can also be serve over rocks or straight. If you plan to serve it straight, chill the glasses first. You can use an orange twist or a cocktail cherry to garnish this cocktail.
- Combine fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, splash of fresh orange juice, and bourbon in a cocktail shaker. Crack a small egg and add egg white* only to the cocktail shaker. Discard the egg yolk. Note: you can also use pasteurized egg whites from a carton and use about a tablespoon and per cocktail.
- Add a few ice cubes and shake vigorously for about 30-40 seconds.
- Add a few ice cubes to the glass if desired, pour the cocktail into the glass through a strainer, and enjoy.
- *Raw Egg Warning: Consuming raw or under-cooked eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness.
Variations of Whiskey Sour
- John Collins – essentially a whiskey sour with soda water.
- New York Sour – a whiskey sour with about an ounce of red wine floater on top.
- Scotch Sour – substitute whiskey with your favorite Scotch.
- Ginger Whiskey Sour – add about 3 ounces of ginger beer to the whiskey sour.
- Amaretto Sour – substitute whiskey for amaretto. You can use egg white in this recipe as well or leave it out.
Whiskey Sour Cocktail Recipe FAQs
Bourbon is the classic choice because its natural sweetness plays so well against the tart lemon juice. If you want something spicier, rye whiskey is a great swap and holds up nicely against the citrus too. Honestly, use whatever whiskey you actually enjoy drinking on its own. A cocktail is only as good as the bottle you pour into it.
Absolutely, that’s actually how I wrote the first version of this recipe. Skipping the egg white gives you a cocktail that’s a little brighter and lighter, without the frothy top. It’s really just a texture preference, not a flavor one, so don’t feel like you’re missing out either way.
A Boston sour is really just a whiskey sour made with egg white, so if you’ve made my egg white version, you’ve already made one. Some bars use the two names interchangeably, but Boston sour usually implies the frothy, egg white style specifically.
A lot of bartenders dry shake (shake without ice first) to build extra foam before adding ice. I’ve found that shaking the egg white version vigorously with ice for a good 30 to 40 seconds gets you plenty of froth without the extra step, which makes it easier for a home bar. If you want an even thicker foam cap, go ahead and dry shake for about 15 seconds before adding your ice.
You can in a pinch, but I really don’t recommend it. Bottled lemon juice sits on shelves for a long time and tends to taste flat and overly sour compared to fresh. Since this cocktail only has a handful of ingredients, the quality of your lemon juice makes a noticeable difference in the final drink.
Yes, and it’s one of my favorite tricks for parties. Multiply the bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup by however many servings you need and combine them in a pitcher ahead of time. Just shake individual portions with ice right before serving so each glass gets that chilled, slightly diluted texture instead of a warm, flat one.
A rocks glass (also called an old fashioned glass) is traditional and what I use for mine. If you’re serving it up instead of on the rocks, a coupe glass works beautifully too, especially for the egg white version with its frothy top.
More Cocktails To Try
- Irish Coffee
- Hot Toddy
- Classic Manhattan
- Irish Lemonade
- Peach Bourbon Smash
- Perfect Old Fashioned Cocktail
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Whiskey Sour Recipe (No Egg White)
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon whiskey
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1 tsp fresh orange juice
- 2 drops orange bitters optional**
Instructions
- You can serve this cocktail straight or on the rocks. Chill the glasses first if you will be serving the cocktail straight.
- Use a vegetables peeler to peel the outer skin of the orange, without the white rind, and twist it tight to squeeze the natural oils from the orange. Rub the orange twist over the rim of the glass.`
- Combine fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, splash of fresh orange juice, and bourbon in a cocktail shaker. Add a few ice cubes and shake vigorously.**Optional: add 2 drops of orange bitters to the cocktail shaker.
- Add a few ice cubes to the glass if desired, pour the cocktail into the glass through a strainer, and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Whiskey Sour with Egg White
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon whiskey
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1 tsp fresh orange juice
- 1/2 oz egg white* can also use 1/2 oz pasteurized egg whites from a carton
Instructions
- Combine fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, splash of fresh orange juice, and bourbon in a cocktail shaker.
- Crack a small egg and add egg white* only to the cocktail shaker. Discard the egg yolk. Note: you can also use pasteurized egg whites from a carton and use about a tablespoon and per cocktail.
- Add a few ice cubes and shake vigorously for about 30-40 seconds.
- Add a few ice cubes to the glass if desired and pour the cocktail into the glass through a strainer.
- You can use an orange twist or a cocktail cherry to garnish this cocktail.
Notes
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This is so much better than the bottled mixes!
I 100% agree! Thank you!