The New York Sour Cocktail

HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK SOUR

HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK SOUR

It’s speculated that the New York Sour cocktail was first made by a bartender in Chicago in the 1880s. The drink was initially called Continental Sour and then Southern Whiskey Sour, also masquerading as a Brunswick Sour and Claret Snap before becoming better known as the New York Sour. This places it firmly in the “Pre-Prohibition” era of cocktails, which generally have four or fewer ingredients and tend to rely on balance and simplicity to keep drinkers coming back for more.

One of the great appeals of a well-made New York Sour is its iconic layered appearance, sporting layers of golden brown (from the whiskey), striking red (from the wine), and creamy white (from the egg white). This visual delight is also accentuated by the vivid textural differences that the drinker experiences when taking a sip.

HOW TO MAKE THE NEW YORK SOUR

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Rye Whiskey or Bourbon
  • 1 oz fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ oz simple syrup
  • 1 egg white
  • ½ oz red wine
  • 2 dashes of aromatic bitters

GARNISH:
Citrus twist (expressed and discarded)

DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients except the wine and bitters into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until you hear the texture of the drink change inside the tin, indicating that the egg white is sufficiently foamy. Then, strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and float the wine by pouring it over the back of a bar spoon. Add two dashes of aromatic bitters to the egg white and express the citrus twist over the drink, discard, and enjoy.

NEW YORK SOUR VARIATIONS

NEW YORK SOUR VARIATIONS

The New York Sour is itself a variation on a classic whiskey sour, with the key manipulated variable being the red wine float. Like a normal whiskey sour, the New York Sour cocktail certainly can be made without egg whites, but that choice will almost definitely detract from the visual appeal of the end product. If you need to omit egg whites for dietary or “yuck factor” reasons, consider subbing in about an ounce of aqua faba (the water in a can of chick peas) to create a vegan-friendly head of foam.

You may also think about playing with what kinds of wine you use for the float. Of course, you can swap out a Cabernet Sauvignon for a Syrah or a Grenache, but it’s also not too far out there to imagine a riff on this drink made using a white wine. It would be a completely different visual experience, but there might be ways to make it work.