A hearty drink dreamt up by sailors to combat malnutrition, the whisky sour is a storied cocktail that has now come to shore.
Whether or not you can claim to be a whisky enthusiast (or whiskey, if that’s your jam), the whisky sour cocktail is a must-try. When it comes to the spectrum of cocktails, this drink is a more sturdy and zippy option in comparison to some of its far sweeter cousins, one which sees the rich caramel flavours of whisky greet the sour tang of a splash of citrus.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Method
Tip To make your own sugar syrup, place ½ cup (110g) caster sugar and ½ cup (125mL) water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
It’s most likely American Navy seamen that we have to thank for the whisky sour, a drink that first made an appearance in one of the many coastal taverns around the world back in the mid-1800s. But the cocktail itself was being drunk long before then out at sea, or so the story goes. Whisky was already a popular spirit among sailors thanks to its lengthy shelf life, but a rise in scurvy (a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C) for seafarers helped to encourage drinkers to squeeze citrus into their favourite spirit out of fear of malnutrition. The result is a rather basic version of today’s whisky sour, a tipple that eventually made its way to shore, and into our neighbourhood drinking dens.
There are two types of this traditional spirit, with each made and sourced differently, and boasting a different flavour. Scotch whisky, no ‘e’, is made from a marriage of malted barley and water, and is generally said to have a heavier, heartier taste when it comes to its palate. A prime example is Spearhead Single Grain Scotch Whisky, a drink crafted in Scotland’s Loch Lomond Distillery, using 100% malted barley and an extended fermented time in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a flavour ripe in dark berries, dark chocolate, and melted brown sugar. In contrast, Irish whiskey (note the ‘e’) uses a combo of both malted and unmalted barley (and sometimes different grains altogether), which are attributed to helping create its smoother flavour, and general remnants of vanilla.
Finish your whisky sour with red wine to create a New York sour cocktail, or twist it with rye and buttered brown sugar syrup to make a toffee whisky sour. Your soft spot for whisky can be indulged with a fleet of other whisky-based cocktails, too (lucky for you). Two other equally delicious drinks which celebrate the spirit include the equally historic Manhattan and the citrus-focused whisky smash.
