new era · shaken
Trinidad Sour recipe
The famous inversion — Angostura bitters as the base, with orgeat and rye.
A Trinidad Sour is 45 ml (44.1 g) Angostura Bitters, 30 ml (35.1 g) Orgeat, 22 ml (22.7 g) Fresh Lemon Juice and 15 ml (14.1 g) Rye Whiskey, shaken and served in a coupe. It pours to about 112 ml before ice, at roughly 23.3% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasscoupe
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume112 ml
- Strength (est.)23.3% ABV
- Time4 min
Trinidad Sour ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angostura Bitters | 45 ml | 44.1 g | 0.98 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Orgeat | 30 ml | 35.1 g | 1.17 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lemon Juice | 22 ml | 22.7 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Rye Whiskey | 15 ml | 14.1 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Trinidad Sour
- Set your coupe on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Add Angostura Bitters, Orgeat, Fresh Lemon Juice and Rye Whiskey to a shaker, weighing each ingredient rather than eyeballing a jigger.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12–15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Trinidad Sour: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Trinidad Sour?
Roughly 23.3% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Spirit-forward. Sip it, do not sink it.
What glass should a Trinidad Sour be served in?
A coupe. Chill it first — a room-temperature stemmed glass will undo half the work you just did in the mixing tin.
Can I make a Trinidad Sour without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Trinidad Sour
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