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The gin sour is a classic sour cocktail that’s a balance of lemon, gin and syrup! Top with an egg white foam for a frothy topping.
Here’s a cocktail with a long history that inspired a slew of other drinks: the Gin Sour! This lesser known relative of the Whiskey Sour and Amaretto Sour is just as tasty as its cousins: it’s smooth, tart, and balanced, with floral notes from the gin.
Top it off with a classic egg white foam for a creamy body and frothy finish. It’s an underrated sour that’s very similar to the Gin Fizz and Tom Collins, if you’re fans of those drinks (which we are!).
Ingredients in a gin sour
The Gin Sour is one in the family of sour cocktails: drinks made of liquor, citrus, and sweetener. The most well-known of course is the Whiskey Sour. But there are many more classic sour cocktails that don’t have “sour” in the name. The Margarita, Mojito, Sidecar, Daiquiri, and Gimlet are all considered sours!
The history of the Gin Sour is not known, but it likely came to be in the mid-1800’s. The Whiskey Sour was first recorded in 1862: and many recipes around the time specified that you could use any alcohol in the sour. The Gin Sour is lighter and more delicate than the boldness of the Whiskey Sour. The ingredients in a Gin Sour are:
- Gin
- Lemon juice
- Simple syrup
- Egg white
- Angostura bitters, for garnish
How to make a gin sour: basic steps
The gin sour is quick and easy to make. The only fancy part is the shaking technique to get that frothy foam topping. Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe):
- Dry shake: Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds without ice.
- Shake: Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake again for 30 seconds.
- Strain: Strain into a glass and garnish with a few shakes of bitters on top. Voila!
The technique: a dry shake
Bartenders have added egg whites to cocktails since the 1860’s, since they add a frothy texture to each sip, and a creamy rich flavor. The best frothy egg white form is achieved by doing a Dry Shake. Here’s how it works:
- Shaking without ice lets the protein in the egg begin to form foam, instead of being diluted by the ice.
- Shaking again with ice cools the drink and strengthens the foam. Strain it into the glass and a thick, white frothy layer will form.
You’ll notice that the classic egg white foam is also atop the Gin Fizz, which is a close cousin drink to the Gin Sour. The only difference is using soda water to add a bubbly note.
Drinks related to the Gin Sour
The Gin Sour is like the godfather of a lot of the famous gin drinks. You’ll notice that the combination of lemon, gin and sweetener seems to have infinite variations. Here are the most famous classic cocktails related to the Gin Sour:
- Gin Fizz: Add soda water to the Gin Sour and you’ve got the classic fizz.
- Tom Collins: Drop the egg white, add more soda water and serve with ice.
- Gin Gimlet: Use lime instead of lemon and drop the egg white.
- Clover Club: Use raspberry syrup or grenadine instead of simple syrup.
- Bees Knees: Use honey syrup instead of simple syrup, and no egg white.
- White Lady: Use Cointreau instead of simple syrup.
Classic Gin Sour
The gin sour is a classic sour cocktail that’s the perfect balance of lemon, gin and syrup! Top with an egg white foam for a frothy topping.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) gin
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lemon juice
- ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) simple syrup
- 1 egg white*
- For the garnish: Lemon strip, Angostura bitters
Instructions
- Add the gin, lemon juice, syrup, and egg white to a cocktail shaker without ice. Shake for 15 seconds.
- Add the ice to the cocktail shaker. Shake again for 30 seconds.
- Strain the drink into a glass; the foam will collect at the top. Serve with or without ice. Garnish with bitters swirled into foam and lemon twist.
Notes
*Substitute 2 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) for a vegan variation.
A few more classic sour cocktails
The family of sour cocktails includes all sorts of drinks that don’t have “sour” in the title. But let’s talk about those “classic sours” for a moment! These are drinks that combine liquor, lemon, and simple syrup, then top it off with an egg white foam (and sometimes bitters). Here are the major classic sours:
- In the Pisco Sour, the magic meld of pisco and lime in this Peruvian drink gives it flavor like none other.
- The New York Sour has a whiskey sour on the bottom, then red wine layer floated on top.
- The Boston Sour is a whiskey sour with an egg white foam.
- A Vodka Sour is tangy and sweet, with a hint of bitters.
- The Tequila Sour is like a margarita, but done up as a sour.
