classic · shaken
Whisky Sour recipe
Bourbon, lemon, sugar, egg white for foam. Dry shake first.
A Whisky Sour is 60 ml (56.4 g) Bourbon, 22 ml (22.7 g) Fresh Lemon Juice, 15 ml (16.7 g) Simple Syrup and 30 ml (31.2 g) Egg White, shaken and served in a rocks (old fashioned) glass. It pours to about 127 ml before ice, at roughly 18.9% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glassrocks (old fashioned) glass
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume127 ml
- Strength (est.)18.9% ABV
- Time4 min
Whisky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lemon Juice | 22 ml | 22.7 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Simple Syrup (1:1) | 15 ml | 16.7 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Egg White | 30 ml | 31.2 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Whisky Sour
- Set your rocks (old fashioned) glass 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 Bourbon, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and Egg White to a shaker with no ice and dry-shake hard for 10 seconds to build the foam.
- Add ice and shake again for 12–15 seconds until the tin is painfully cold.
- Double-strain into a chilled rocks (old fashioned) glass over fresh ice.
Whisky Sour: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Whisky Sour?
Roughly 18.9% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Medium strength. About the same as a fortified wine, poured short.
What glass should a Whisky Sour be served in?
A rocks (old fashioned) glass. One large, clear cube melts slower than four small ones and keeps the drink from watering out.
Can I make a Whisky 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 Whisky Sour
New York Sour
A whiskey sour crowned with a float of red wine.
Paper Plane
Sam Ross's equal-parts modern classic. Sour, bitter, boozy.
John Collins
The whiskey Collins — bourbon, lemon and sugar, topped with soda.
Old Fashioned
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
Penicillin
Sam Ross again. Scotch, honey, lemon, ginger. Shake and strain.
Mint Julep
Bourbon and sugar over crushed ice with a mint bouquet.