Whiskey Sour

The Whiskey Sour is a classic cocktail that combines the rich, bold flavors of whiskey with the tartness of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a touch of simple syrup for sweetness.

5 min
Easy
Old-fashioned glass
6 ingredients

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Ingredients

Bourbon1½ oz
Lemon juice¾ oz
Sugar syrup¾ oz
Egg white1 tsp (optional)
Orange½ slice
Maraschino cherry1

Method

Fill a shaker with ice.
Add the bourbon, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white, if using.
Shake hard for 15 seconds, a little longer with egg white.
Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.
Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

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What you need

Nothing fancy. Here is what to look for. We earn a small cut if you buy through these links, at no cost to you.

A shaker that seals

Two weighted tins beat three-piece shakers. They chill faster and never jam.

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Rocks glasses

A heavy base and 8 to 10 oz, with room for one big ice cube.

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A hand citrus press

Fresh juice is the biggest upgrade you can make to any sour drink.

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The hero bottle

If you've been curious about bourbon but intimidated by whiskey culture, you've found the right starting point. Bourbon cocktails offer one of the most beginner-friendly entry points into the world of spirits — unlike some whiskeys that can taste harsh or overly complex to new drinkers, bourbon's naturally sweet character makes it exceptionally mixable and approachable.

See 17 Bourbon drinks

Where it comes from

The Whiskey Sour stands as one of the most iconic cocktails in American drinking history. Dating back to the 1860s, this pre-Prohibition classic has survived countless cocktail trends and remained a bar staple for over 160 years. Its enduring appeal lies in its perfect balance of citrus-forward brightness, whiskey warmth, and just enough sweetness to tie it all together. The basic template — spirit, citrus, sweetener — is the foundation upon which much of the classic cocktail canon is built.

The earliest documented reference to the Whiskey Sour appears in Jerry Thomas's 1862 bartender's guide "The Bar-Tender's Guide," which codified many of the era's cocktail recipes and established the sour as one of the great cocktail families alongside punches, cobblers, and fizzes. The formula was simple and democratic: it made rough frontier whiskey more palatable while providing a satisfying balance that appealed to sophisticated drinkers as well.

The egg white variation emerged as bartenders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries began exploring texture as a dimension of cocktail craft. The addition of raw egg white, when shaken vigorously in a dry shake before ice is added, denatures the proteins and creates the micro-bubble foam that gives the egg white Whiskey Sour its luxurious, silky character. This technique — borrowed from the older "fizz" family of drinks — transformed the Whiskey Sour from a simple refresher into something more complex and sensory.

Prohibition interrupted the cocktail's evolution, as the availability of quality American whiskey plummeted. In the decades after Repeal, the Whiskey Sour often appeared in a bastardized form using sweet-and-sour mix from a bottle — a shortcut that stripped the drink of its fresh character. The craft cocktail movement of the 2000s restored the original's integrity, insisting on fresh citrus and quality spirits, and the egg white variation has enjoyed particular popularity as bartenders rediscovered the pleasures of the dry shake.

Tips from the bar

Always use fresh lemon juice. Bottled juice has a flat, cooked flavor that undermines everything the Whiskey Sour is trying to achieve. Squeeze to order.
If using egg white, perform a genuine dry shake — shake vigorously for 15–20 full seconds without ice before adding ice. This is what builds the foam; a half-hearted dry shake produces thin, fleeting bubbles.
Try a reverse dry shake for maximum foam: add ice first, shake, strain out the ice, then shake again without ice. The second shake without ice produces even more stable foam.
Use aquafaba (1 oz of chickpea liquid from a can) as a vegan substitute for egg white. It produces similar foam with slightly less stability and is completely safe for all dietary needs.
Garnish with 3–4 dashes of Angostura bitters on the foam — do not stir them in. The bitters provide aromatic complexity with every sip and create a striking visual presentation.

Twists worth trying

New York Sour: After preparing a classic whiskey sour with egg white, gently float 1/2–3/4 oz of full-bodied red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec) over the back of a bar spoon so it rests on top. Visually stunning and adds tannin complexity.
Gold Rush: Created by New York bartender T.J. Siegel in the mid-1990s. Replace simple syrup with honey syrup (2 parts honey to 1 part warm water). Use 2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz fresh lemon, 3/4 oz honey syrup. Typically served without egg white.
Amaretto Sour: A sweeter variation popular since the 1970s. Combine 1.5 oz amaretto, 0.5 oz bourbon, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, and 0.5 oz simple syrup. Egg white is essential here to balance the liqueur's sweetness with textural contrast.
Boston Sour: Add a full egg — both white and yolk — instead of just the white. The yolk adds golden color and a richer, creamier mouthfeel distinctly different from the standard egg white version.