2. Dialing in the Sweet and Sour Flavors: The Whiskey Sour
WHAT IT IS: A sort of whiskey-lemonade froth that is sweated by the angels. You undoubtedly have had a terrible, sub-par version of this at some point in your life, back when you had fewer regrets and a fuller head of hair. That version was probably made with sour mix straight out of a bar gun, together with whiskey from the well. The Whiskey Sour is often a drink ordered by beginning drinkers who don’t know any better, and what they are given, most of the, time tastes like cheap candy dish soap.
This version, however, is not that drink. If you want a better version of that drink, omit the egg white and still use fresh lemon and sugar. Death before sour mix. You don’t want a better version of that drink. You want this drink.
HOW TO MAKE IT: Separate an egg. Yes. Do it. You’ll be fine. If you don’t know how to separate an egg, look it up. It’s easier than it seems. Throw away the yolk and place the egg white in a shaker. Add ¾ ounce of fresh lemon juice and ¾ ounce of simple syrup (a blend of water and sugar). Add an ounce and a half of good whiskey. Don’t add anything else yet. Shake this together, hard. You will see an amazing process take place. Your runny, gloppy egg white will emulsify in the acid forming a beautiful, rich, foamy miracle. It’s like meringue. It’s like a whiskey cloud.
Add ice.
Shake it more. Shake it a lot. Shake it until the outside of the shaker is cold. Strain this into a glass. Garnish with a lemon slice, or a cherry.
Drink. See? I told you you’d be fine.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: The Whiskey Sour, made in this classic, 1800’s fashion with egg white is a template for an entire body of drinks that rely on the beautiful, emulsified egg white foam to add body and a silky mouth feel. Pisco sours are the exact same drink, only made with Pisco and lime juice, and dotted with bitters on the surface of the foam. Ramos fizzes, and all kinds of bad-ass old drinks are built around this chemical reaction. At my home bar, we make these with an Earl Grey Tea-infused whiskey, and they are amazing.
