Whiskey and Other Sours

You've probably gathered that I'm a fan of Bourbon and Rye, both of which, technically speaking, are Whiskeys. There's an entire family of cocktails called "sours," closely associated with Whiskeys (and with the family of cocktails knowns Collins). They are a very traditional cocktail, so traditional in fact, that they're included in the 1862 book How to Mix Drinks, by Jerry Thomas. A "sour" is a cocktail that contains a base spirit (typically bourbon or another whiskey, but possibly gin, tequila, vodka, or even brandy) a citrus juice (lemon or lime, or orange—hence the "sour") and some form of sweetener—triple sec, simple syrup, grenadine, or pineapple juice are the most common. Technically, a Margarita and a Sidecar are both "Sours." Brandy was initially favored in the mid-1800s for Sours, but by the end of the century Bourbon was the popular spirit.

Today, Whiskey, either American Rye, or a blended whiskey are favored spirits in a sour. Here's the basic recipe and procedure:

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rye or blended whiskey or other spirit
• 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice (or lime juice)
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar or Simple Syrup
• Slice of orange or lemon (or both) and a maraschino cherry
• Cracked ice
• Shaker
• Highball or Old Fashioned glass, chilled

Procedures

1. Combine the spirit, lemon juice, and sugar.
2. Add to a shaker with ice.
3. Shake the misture vigorously with the ice
4. Strain over ice into a chilled glass (an Old Fashioned glass, or highball glass).
5. Garnish with an orange or lemon slice (or both), and for the truly traditional, a maraschino cherry.

If you use Whiskey and lemon juice, you've got a Whiskey Sour. If you add Grenadine, and use half lemon and half orange juice with American Rye or Bourbon, you've got a Ward 8. Use Cognac, an orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreu, or the more traditional Triple Sec), and lemon juice, and after shaking over ice, pour into a glass with a sugared rim, and you've got a Sidecar. Other basic variations include shaking the Sour enough to make it frothy, and serve it straight up in a cocktail glass. Add a dash of chilled soda water for a lighter summer sipper or skip shaking over ice, and serve on the rocks in a chilled Old Fashioned glass.

For those without plans for the evening, and no car keys, there's the lovely but dangerous Kamikaze. Combine equal parts Vodka, Triple Sec and lime juice in a shaker, and serve straight up in a chilled cocktail glass with a wedge or a lime twist as a garnish.