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Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Whiskey Sour

By Chris Morocco

4.8

(4)

Image may contain Drink Cocktail Alcohol Beverage Lemonade Juice Plant and Orange Juice
Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo

The key to an excellent whiskey sour? Getting the balance just right. This whiskey sour recipe has all the right proportions of bright, bracing lemon juice; warming, floral bourbon; and sweet simple syrup to deliver a refreshing cocktail that’s neither too cloying nor too biting. Using freshly squeezed juice is essential—the stuff that comes out of fruit-shaped squeeze bottles doesn’t even compare. If you don't have any lemon on hand, you can swap it out for lime (or a mixture of the two). Serve on the rocks with an orange wheel and a Maraschino cherry arranged neatly on a drink spear (optional but recommended!), and enjoy. Cheers!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz. bourbon
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
½ orange wheel (for serving)
Maraschino cherry (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds.

    Step 2

    Strain cocktail through a Hawthorne strainer or a slotted spoon into an old-fashioned or rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange wheel and cherry.

TagsBeveragesCocktailAlcoholEasy5 Ingredients or FewerQuickBourbonWhiskeyLemonCitrusFruitBon Appétit

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