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The vodka sour is a classic sour cocktail, refreshingly sweet tart with a frothy egg white foam on top! With this drink, you’re ready for happy hour in just 5 minutes.

Vodka sour
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Do you love tart and sour drinks? Then get ready for the vodka sour! This drink is refreshingly sweet tart, with an egg white foam that makes for a creamy, frothy topping. The foam gives it a vintage vibe, making it fun for entertaining.

The vodka sour is so easy to make, perfect for a laid back afternoon on the porch or a cocktail night in. Alex and I love sour cocktails like the Whiskey Sour, so we set about to try them all. This Vodka Sour is a stand-out vodka cocktail that we think is a must make!

Ingredients in a vodka sour

A vodka sour is one in the family of sour cocktails, drinks defined as three parts: liquor, citrus, and sweetener. The most basic formula for a sour cocktail is 2:1:1 or 2 ounces spirit, 1 ounce sour, and 1 ounce sweet.

Of course, there are all sorts of variations on the theme, the most well known being the Whiskey Sour and Pisco Sour. But there are many more: with or without the title “sour” in the name (for example, the Margarita is a sour). The ingredients for this vodka sour are:

  • Vodka
  • Lemon juice
  • Agave syrup or simple syrup
  • Angostura bitters
  • Egg white
Vodka sour with egg white foam and cocktail cherry

How to make a vodka sour (basic steps)

The vodka sour is quick and easy to make: the only time involved is juicing the citrus and separating out the egg white! Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe):

  1. Step 1: Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds without ice.
  2. Step 2: Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake again for 30 seconds.
  3. Step 3: Strain into a glass and garnish.

A dry shake makes the best egg white foam

Bartenders have added egg whites to cocktails for about a century. The foam adds a fun frothy texture on top and adds a rich, creamy flavor. It can also tone down the acidity of the citrus. The best frothy egg white form is achieved by doing what’s called a dry shake. We use this technique in drinks like the Gin FizzWhite Lady, Clover Club, Boston Sour, Gin Sour, and Tequila Sour. Here’s how it works:

  • The first shake without ice lets the protein in the egg begin to form foam, instead of being diluted by the ice.
  • The second shake with ice cools the drink and strengthens the foam. Strain it into the glass and you’ll get a thick, white frothy layer.
Vodka sour

Bitters add nuanced flavor

A vodka sour works without bitters. But for the very best vodka sour, we like adding a few drops of bitters! Angostura bitters are popularly used in cocktails to add a complexity; they take a drink from one-note to complex with just a few drops!

In this drink, we added the bitters to the cocktail itself (not to decorate the egg white foam, as is sometimes done by bartenders). This adds lots of flavor and a nice peach color. If you skip the bitters, the drink is clear.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use something besides lemon juice?

Lime juice can be used for a slightly different flavor profile, but it won’t be a true vodka sour. We like substituting half of the lemon juice with lime as a fun variation, which pairs well with the vodka flavor.

What kind of sweetener should I use?

A classic simple syrup made with equal parts sugar and water is ideal. We also like pure maple syrup to sweet cocktails, which adds nuance without adding maple flavor.

Is there a substitute for egg white?

Aquafaba, the leftover liquid from canned chickpeas, can be whipped into a similar froth as egg white and used as a vegan alternative. Use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba in this recipe as an equivalent to the actual egg white.

For an egg-free alternative to egg white foams, this Fee Brothers Cocktail Foamer has become a popular alternative.

Why does this drink look peach in color?

This vodka sour recipe includes optional bitters in the drink recipe. If you don’t use bitters the drink will be clear in appearance.

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Vodka Sour

Vodka sour
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3.7 from 3 reviews

The vodka sour is a classic sour cocktail, refreshingly sweet tart with a frothy egg white foam on top! With this drink, you’re ready for happy hour in just 5 minutes.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
  • Category: Drinks
  • Method: Shaken
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ounces* vodka
  • 1 ounce lemon juice
  • 3/4 to 1 ounce simple syrup
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 egg white**
  • For the garnish: Cocktail cherry and lemon wedge

Instructions

  1. Add the vodka, lemon juice, lime juice, syrup, bitters, and egg white to a cocktail shaker without ice. Shake for 15 seconds.
  2. Add the ice to the cocktail shaker. Shake again for 30 seconds.
  3. Strain the drink into a glass; the foam will collect at the top. Serve with ice, a lemon wedge, and a cocktail cherry.

Notes

*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons.

*Substitute 2 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) for a vegan variation. For an egg-free alternative to egg white foams, this Fee Brothers Cocktail Foamer has become a popular alternative.

Sweet variation: Use 1 ounce simple syrup; we like our drinks on the tart side, so we typically use ¾ ounce simple syrup.

Lemon lime variation: Substitute half of the lemon juice with lime juice for a lemon lime flavor, which pairs well with vodka. You can also use lime juice in place of lemon, though it has a stronger flavor (start with ¾ oz lime).

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A vodka sour is similar to another classic vodka cocktail: the Cosmopolitan! The Cosmo is essentially a vodka sour that uses cranberry juice to give it a vibrant pink color. It skips the egg white foam and bitters, and adds orange liqueur.

Another variation on the vodka sour is a vodka gimlet. The main difference with the gimlet is it uses lime juice instead of lemon. It also skips the egg white foam and bitters. Both are great cocktails that we’d absolutely recommend!

A few more sour cocktails

Sour cocktails are a family of drinks that blend liquor, sour and sweet in the perfect proportions. If you love the vodka sour, here are a few more sour cocktails to try:

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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7 Comments

  1. Lima says:

    Its neither too sweet not too sour, tangy so so good

  2. Kevin Davis says:

    This is not very good at all. It is nearly 50% citrus. Did you try this recipe before you published it?






    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      We rather like it tart. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!

    2. Mika Perkiömäki says:

      Well, given that the name of the cocktail is Vodka SOUR, you should expect it to taste sour 😁
      This is a good recipe, thanks 👍






  3. Lisa Y. says:

    which agnostura bitter should i use? thanks!

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Any will work, but we recommend the classic “aromatic bitter”

      1. Nico Shaw says:

        Mmmmmm soooo good