Video:What Are Sour Cocktails?

Transcript:What Are Sour Cocktails?

Hey I'm Ben Scorah, the head mixologist here at the Windsor here in New York City and today where going to talk about sour cocktails. A sour cocktail has some key ingredients, liquor, fresh lemon juice, a little bit of sugar, and some bitters. We can also add some egg white into that to give it that lovely texture but today where going to be using these simple ingredients that everyone has at home.

Liquors in Sour Cocktails

So for sour drinks we can use whiskey we can use bourbon, Irish whiskey, Japanese whiskey, tequila, rum, whatever you want. A sour component to a drink is refreshing and perfect. The traditional drink to use is a whiskey sour but where going to use a scotch today. Where going to use a couple of ounces, two ounces to be exact, of scotch. It is important to measure it so that you get the perfect balance.

Balance Sour Cocktails with Simple Syrups and Citrus

We're going to use some simple syrup, so it's just equal part sugar and water, shake it together and you get a nice consistency and it's not going to be little flakes of sugar in your mouth so where going to do three quarters of an ounce of simple syrup, so we're going to take our fresh lemons.

Then we got three quarters of an ounce of the same amount of lemon as sugar, if you want a little sweater add a little bit less lemon juice if you want it a bit more tart or sour add a bit more lemon juice. If you want to add a little bit of egg white you can add it at this stage but this is how where going it.

Strain the Sour Cocktail into Iced Glass

Add ice, seal your shaker, give it a good tap, then where going to shake it up. make it nice an cold your shaker should be nice and frosty give it a tap, open it up and get a rock glass then strain the drink. Get all those little shards of ice out of there, give it a tap. Little bit of ice there, where going to finish this with a little twist of lemon so get you paring knife and just take a little bit of lemon off. Then just release those nice oils in the drink and it's going to give off this lovely aroma and now we have a whiskey sour.

Other Options for Sour Cocktails

To make a sour drink we use citrus juice, so lemons and limes are the two sour juices that we have readily available. Traditionally whiskey sours are made with lemons because whiskey and lemons are the perfect complement to one another. When were using different liquors like rum and tequila maybe, were gong to use limes because it just works better with those spirit. There are no real rules on what kind of citrus you have to use to make a sour, but those kinds of sour fruits such as lemons and limes work very well. Grapefruits are good as well, although they are not as sour, but can definitely be used in a sour drink.

For the sour drink we're going to use sugar, and we're going to use citrus, so the sugar component balance out that sweetness. To make simple syrup, you get sugar and hot water mix around and there you have simple syrup. So just a little recap here at the Windsor NYC

For Sour Drinks:

• Spirits whether whiskey, tequila, vodka, rum whatever you want
• Fresh lemon or lime
• Simple syrup
• Bitters
• Egg whites (optional)
• Shake and strain into iced glass