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This whiskey sour recipe is perfectly balanced and so easy to make! Garnish with an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.
Here at A Couple Cooks, we’re cocktail experts, with over 300 cocktail recipes in our library. But the first that got us hooked on cocktails was this whiskey sour recipe! The whiskey sour is a perfectly sweet tart, balanced whiskey drink that actually dates back to the 1870’s.
Our favorite way to make it is a spin with bourbon and maple syrup, and man, is it tasty! It’s become a family favorite. Here’s the classic recipe and a few riffs and variations on this famous drink!
Whiskey sour ingredients
The whiskey sour is a sour cocktail made with whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It’s often served with an egg white foam, in which case it’s sometimes called a Boston Sour.
The earliest mention of this classic cocktail was in the 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide: How To Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas, so it’s been around for centuries. The ingredients for making a whiskey sour are simple. Here’s what you’ll need for this classic sour cocktail:
- 2 oz bourbon whiskey: as high quality as possible. (You can use any whiskey, but we prefer the flavor of bourbon.)
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ¾ to 1 oz simple syrup
- Orange or lemon peel and cocktail cherry, for garnish
Adjust the sweetness level in a whiskey sour to fit your tastes. A classic sour formula is 2:1:1, which means 2 oz spirit, 1 oz citrus and 1 oz sweetener. We prefer a whiskey sour with ¾ oz syrup, which lets the whiskey flavor shine. But if you prefer a sweeter cocktail, use up to 1 oz syrup.
Why make this whiskey sour recipe
I wasn’t a whiskey sour fan until the drink was introduced to our family by Alex’s step-father, Joe, who is extremely passionate about this sweet tart drink. When he’s entertaining, he’ll always ask: “Want a whiskey sour?” So over the years, this drink has become the standard for festive family get-togethers.
In honor of Joe’s birthday one year, we created this whiskey sour recipe as an alternative to the store-bought mix he usually buys. Making it with fresh lemon juice and bourbon makes for the very best whiskey sour! Joe started serving it often, and it’s become a smash hit with cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles alike.
Best whiskey for whiskey sours
We recommend a mid-priced bourbon for a classic whiskey sour: a bottle in the $25 to $35 range Some bourbon brands we’d recommend are: Elijah Craig Small Batch, Four Roses Small Batch, or Woodford Reserve. A higher-end option is Bulleit 10 Year Bourbon. Spicy rye whiskey also works in a whiskey sour.
A note on the sweetener
We typically use simple syrup as our cocktail sweetener of choice. But we’ve found maple syrup is a great alterative that adds a nuance to the flavor of cocktails. It’s a natural sweetener that brings caramel flavor undertones to the whiskey sour.
In back to back taste tests, maple syrup always wins! But if you prefer the pure, straightforward taste of simple syrup, you can use that too.
Whiskey sour mix for a crowd
Let’s say you’re looking for a whiskey sour mix, but you don’t want to get one of those store bought containers with lots of sugar. You can also make this recipe as a mix to make lots of drinks at once:
- Here’s how to make a whiskey sour mix for 8 drinks: Mix 1 cup lemon juice plus ¾ cup simple syrup or maple syrup. Or, make our Sweet and Sour Mix.
- To make a single drink, measure out 3 ½ tablespoons of the mix with 4 tablespoons whiskey (see Whiskey Sour Mix).
Frequently asked questions
Adding an egg white gives a silky texture and a smooth, luxurious mouthfeel to the drink. A whiskey sour can be made with or without egg whites. A whiskey sour with egg white is also called Boston Sour.
Bartenders have been adding egg whites to sour cocktails since the 1860’s or before. Several drinks contain egg white in the 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide: How To Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas.
Some people say that the best ratio for a whiskey sour is 3 parts spirits, 2 parts sour, 1 part sweet. However, the classic formula for a sour is a 2:1:1 ratio, or 2 parts spirits, 1 part sour and 1 part sweet. We prefer a 2:1:1 ratio for a whiskey sour.
A classic whiskey sour uses fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, creating a balanced and complex flavor profile. Sour mix drinks often rely on pre-made sour mixes, which can be overly sweet and lack depth.
You can use either a classic coupe glass or a rocks glass.
Pre-squeeze your lemon juice and prepare simple syrup in advance. However, assemble and serve the whiskey sour right before drinking for the freshest flavors and frothiest texture.
For an egg-free alternative to egg white foams, this Fee Brothers Cocktail Foamer has become a popular alternative. You can also use 2 tablespoons aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
Classic Whiskey Sour
Master the classic whiskey sour! This cocktail is easy to make at home with a few simple ingredients for a balance of sweet, tart, and boozy.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 ounces whiskey (we prefer bourbon)
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 to 1 ounce simple syrup*
- Garnish: Orange peel and a cocktail cherry
- Ice, for serving
Instructions
- Add the whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with a handful of ice and shake until very cold.
- Strain the drink into a lowball or Old Fashioned glass. Serve with ice, an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.
Notes
To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons.
* Adjust the sweetness level in a whiskey sour to fit your tastes. We also like substituting maple syrup for the simple syrup, which adds subtle caramel notes to the flavor profile.
Variations on the whiskey sour
The whiskey sour is so iconic, there are many variations on this bourbon cocktail! Here are a few notable variations:
- Wine: The popular New York Sour floats red wine on top.
- Honey: The Gold Rush is a whiskey sour made with honey syrup.
- Citrus: Try a Whiskey Sour with Lime or Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour.
- Egg white: Make a Whiskey Sour with Egg White, also known as a Boston Sour.
- Amaretto: Infuse the drink with Italian almond liqueur for an Amaretto Whiskey Sour.
- Scotch: A Buchanan Sour uses Scotch, and the Penicillin stars Scotch and ginger honey syrup.
- Irish or rye whiskey: The Irish Sour uses Irish whiskey. The Ward 8 Cocktail is a sour featuring rye whiskey, orange and grenadine.
Want more cocktail ideas? The Whiskey Sour is on our list of the top 50 Most Popular Cocktails, along with the margarita, gin and tonic, Tom Collins, mimosa, and more.
Favorite for our get togethers with family and friends. We make it by the pitcher!
Loved your receipes.
Have you tried the Whiskey Sour with your Hot Honey recipe?
No, but I like where you’re going with this!
Don’t know how you 2 have done this ? But there must be some Very Special Chemistry going on ! 🫨
Way to go ! 😎
How many days will a batch keep in the fridge? Traveling, but would like to make ahead and bring
Good question! The mix keeps 1 week in the refrigerator — the flavor is best in first 24 hours, but it’s still good at a week.
Sa your AWESOME COCKTAIL recipes and they are just that, awesome..Had a birthday recently and had ppl over, big 60, n I wanted to use my new cocktail set I got, along with 4 bottles of bourbon, Barrell Bourbon 32, Barrell Bourbon Vantage, Barrell Bourbon Amidia and my go to Elijah Craig 1792 and we started with sipping and then I said wait let’s try some cocktails from this site, so we did the usual, my go to, The Old Fadhion, love yours but I did a twist to it, I mulled 2 cocktail cherries into your recipe and did a double strain for each and well, 5 stars my guest said, so after 2 or 3 of those I said let’s do one of the old time faves, whiskey sour, and for this I used Elijah Craig, it just seemed better since Barrell is higher in proof. So I pulled up your recipes and started with the normal, then I got a little twisty, 1 I did with the basic but plain simple syrup then twist #1 I did fresh mint mulled then shaken, LOVED IT they did. So 2 or 3 each later we did another twist, did the honey recipe but, and I hope you all don’t laugh, I did black raspberries mulled…yup I did. So after this one, everyone said DAM….I will say this wow. The flavors…this site and the recipes you have are awesome and i love adding twist to drinks, and so do my freinds…so thanks for the recipes and I will for sure use them. I have a lot of Eagle Rare and Barrell Bourbon 34 and 33 to use…thank you..
Haha! That sounds great with black raspberries!
This is my go to whiskey sour recipe! I’ve tried it with a few different bourbon brands and it’s always is delicious. Started buying maple syrup in bulk 🍁
This is totally amazing ,I never seen this kind of before any other website so thankful to a couple cooks.
A new favorite! Thanks for the recipe.
This drink is becoming so popular in Spain! Never heard of it before and now more and more places do it. Can’t wait to try, thanks for the recipe!
Stunning
Excellent and simple recipe. Ingenious with Vermont maple syrup! Had a somewhat pineapple aftertaste.
I made an addition you might want to try. Added about 1 Tbsp of a very good apricot jam. Made drink “rounder” to the mouth, and flavors sequenced nicely.
Ellzabeth’s Apricot Jam, Locally grown Blenheim apricots, Orchard Heritage Park, 560 East Remington Dr, Sunnyvale, CA, 94087. 408-891-1753. (I’m just a very satisfied customer)
We’ll have to try it! And thanks for the recommendation.
Wow!! Mind blown! Thank you so much for this recipe. I had to call my mom and my mother-in-law about this recipe. We are cooking the stock right now and I’ll make homemade Best Whiskey Sour Recipe to go with it. Way to go!
I’ve made a drink I called a “whiskey sour” in the past, but it basically was just two parts lime juice to one part whiskey. I thought I would try the “official” version with lemon and simple syrup instead.
About 30 years ago on military assignment, I frequented Vaquero’s (Cowboy’s) Bar in Comayagua, Honduras. The bartender always had a pitcher of lemonade for gin and lemonade. I liked it.
As I was squeezing the lemon and making the simple syrup, it dawned on me. This is a “whiskey and lemonade”. I made it with Jameson Irish whiskey, and it was pretty good. I’m not sure if I like it better with lime juice and no added sweetener. I may have to make both at the same time and do a taste test.
PERFECT.
Thank you!
Seriously the best whiskey sour recipe I’ve ever tried! The maple syrup is what makes it so amazing. It pairs well with the oak in the bourbon.
Love the Whiskey Sour recipe. I had no cherries so I go without. The only problem with this recipe is that it is so good, I am now out of Bourbon!
It’s a real problem! :)
Tried this recipe and it was delicious! I might tweak the amount of maple syrup just a tad, but I much prefer the maple syrup to simple syrup – great substitute!
Someone on my favorite TV show always drinks whiskey sours (I know, I’m impressionable…) so when I was at a bar a few months back I tried one and it was awful. I guess it was made with sweet and sour mix or something. Well that, plus I don’t like mixed drinks ~ I’m a straight bourbon guy, period. But I found your recipe and decided to give it a try this afternoon, and wow! This is one cocktail I’m going to be drinking when Saturday afternoon rolls around. I’ve already shared this blog with our daughter who actually DOES like cocktails.
Haha! So glad you loved it :)
Omg! This truly is the easiest, most wonderful sour I’ve enjoyed. Hands down, the maple syrup beats simple syrup by far and IS ON HAND. I love a whiskey sour, but do not want to stand around making simple syrup and don’t drink often enough to batch make it.
I used half lemon juice and half key lime. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
So glad you enjoyed it!
OMG I’m drinking my dinner tonight. Sooo yummy.
Have made this 4 times in the last week, my husband enjoyed it so much he went out and bought a dozen lemons so that we don’t run out :) thank you for a simple and delicious cocktail! We are excited to try the New York Sour next!
Delicious and easy recipe! Thanks! Enjoying one (okay, maybe 2) while making dinner for the fam on a cold night in Minneapolis. Hope all are well in Indiana!
SO,I doubt you’ve heard this before but, “how ’bout that shot’?? Sweet.!Made the recipe, I prefer shaken to stirred but makes difficult with ice…drinking anyhow!
Just repeating everyone else, but WOW what amazing photos!
Haha, thank you! And thanks everyone else!
Wow, that photo is AMAZING! One of the best blog photos I’ve ever seen (probably THE best!).
Wow, thank you! Makes all those times of dropping the ice cube worth it :)
I reeeeallly love these photos. Awesome job.
Wow! First of, I LOVE the pictures! I also like the idea of using honey to sweeten the cocktail. Another option (all natural and tasty) would be to use Organic Maple Syrup (which I ofter use as a sweetener: it is healthier and gives a delicious taste to recipes). (I not it is hard to find but I get mine online with Rouge Maple)
Thanks! Sounds like a great idea – I’ve never thought of adding maple syrup. Thanks for the idea!
You want to talk pretty drinks with a hint of nature, check this out: http://blondegourmand.com/lavender-vodka-tonic/#
Looks awesome, and I have some lavender blooming in the garden right now!
That is a damn good shot!
I’m not a drinker, but that first picture is sure amazing! I saw it on FoodGawker, and had to come check it out! Very nice!
That first image is amazing!!! I also love your update to this classic recipe. My fiance is a huge fan of whiskey sours, so I will have to try your updated version on him.
I was JUST thinking on my way to work today (don’t ask) that I would like to try a whiskey sour that isn’t made with nasty sour mix from a bottle. Yum. Thanks!
What a wonderful photo! You should sell it! I know I definitely would like that up on my wall :)
Haha, well now you’ve got us thinking! We’ll let you know :)
Great photo! We, too, love a good whiskey sour and nothing compares to making your own sour mix. We started making it last year, after a friend reintroduced us to the drink. Will never go back. Cheers!
Um, to repeat: Amazing photo! I agree with Joe even though I’ve never seen his glass!
Yay for me having everything I need for one of these in my kitchen and at 5:30 I’m going to concoct one! Thanks!
Whisky sour has always been one of my favorite drinks! Love that your version is zesty and naturally sweetened. Great flavor and your pictures are gorgeous!
What an amazing picture!!!!! And I love this updated classic recipe!
The shot is stunning! Almost want to try whiskey! Meaah…
I’m not much of a whiskey fan (except with Coke) but had to see the recipe just to get a closer look at the picture. It’s awesome!
I think I’ll be plunking glasses of lemonade on our table to get a similar shot :).
Holy cow…that photo is amazing. Looks like it is right out of a magazine add! Way to go. Drink looks tasty, too. Think I might have to pick up some honey on the way home.
What an amazing photo!! You two are simply awesome :) Joe may need some more honey and less whiskey though…….
Love that you used honey to sweeten the whiskey sour! Great idea :)
Incredible shot! This recipe reminds me of a cold hot toddy. I love that you used natural ingredients to sweeten it!
Thank you! And, I love the thought of a cold hot toddy – haha! If that’s not already a drink, someone should bring that back :)
Alex, oh Alex.
How long have you know me? I had hair then, so it’s been a while. I hate to publically correct you, but son, you have NEVER been more wrong.
Have you seen my glass? THIS WILL ONLY MAKE 1 drink–NOT 2!!
I can’t wait to taste the Alex/Sonja version of my favorite drink. You better double the recipe if I have to share. Thank you!
Joe ” regarding Marilyn, once a H%+, always a H%+” the evil stepfather.
Haha! I was worried that if I made the portions Joe-sized, the readers would start acting like you…
p.s. Tastes best with Preble Twp’s own Rekeweg Honey.
Great whiskey sour. Goes great with my distillery bourbon and might be great with our Tennessee Whiskey “As smooth as Tennessee Whiskey”
Definitely your best photo of all time :) I think Ben might even need a print of that one for his office…
Haha! Thanks. I think winkflash is having a canvas sale this week… :)
Oh my beautiful! Awesome shot!
Wow, that first shot is stunning! Really stopped me in my tracks (and made me crave a whiskey sour…)
Love the natural ingredients in this.
Thanks! I figured there had to be some way they made whiskey sours before HFCS was invented…