For the Love of Sours: Cocktails
My enthusiasm for high-quality sour drinks doesn’t stop at sour beer or tart fruit wines. It goes much deeper than that… Recently I’ve been indulging my love of great sours in the form of mixed drinks. The basic recipe for a sour is 1) liquor, 2) citrus juice, and 3) a sweetener to balance the acidity. Below are a few of my favorite recipes; I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
First, a few notes to help optimize flavor and quality:
- The freshness of the citrus fruit makes a huge difference in the quality of these drinks. Buy fresh fruits, and store them refrigerated in an airtight container (e.g. Ziploc bag) until ready to use. A citrus squeezer is an essential tool for quick and easy juicing. It’s very easy to use and clean — cut the fruit in half, drop it in flat side down, squeeze, remove the fruit, and rinse. They come in different sizes (orange, lemon, lime); I have one of each.
- Each brand of liquor can taste radically different than others, despite being the same type (e.g. tequila). Substitute/experiment at your own risk!
- You can make your own sugar and fruit syrups. Simple syrup is 1 part sugar and 1 part water. Mix, heat to dissolve, and then keep refrigerated. If you prefer a little more flavor depth, you can use something like Turbinado instead of white cane sugar. You can make any semi-rich fruit syrup with 2 parts fruit juice to 3 parts sugar (below there’s a recipe for making a high-quality grenadine).
Now, on to the drinks!
Añejo Margarita
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2 ½ oz Patrón Añejo tequila, or 1800 Añejo tequila |
Method: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a margarita glass with a salt rim.
The añejo tequila is really what takes this margarita to the next level compared to other recipes you see. Just wow! Añejo (ah•NYEH•ho) is tequila that’s been barrel aged, so it adds a much more rich and complex flavor compared to white tequila. It lacks the “harsh” vegetal flavor from agave that is characteristic of white tequila. My favorite, the Patrón Añejo, adds notes of caramel and honey. Reposado tequila can also be used, which is barrel aged for a shorter duration and retains more of the agave flavor, but does add some nice complexity. ¡Salud!
If this margarita is too strong for your taste (it contains quite a lot of alcohol), you can try a more basic tequila sour, which you can serve in a normal cocktail glass on the rocks, with or without a salt rim.
Tequila Sour
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2 oz Casamigos Reposado tequila, or 1800 Reposado tequila |
The Casamigos Reposado adds strong vanilla and light caramel, very tasty.
New York Sour
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2 oz Bulleit bourbon whiskey, or Evan Williams bourbon whiskey |
Method: Shake the whiskey, juice, and syrup with ice and strain into a cocktail glass with a few fresh ice cubes. “Float” the wine on top by gently pouring it directly onto an ice cube from a short distance. Optional: garnish with a cherry and lemon wheel.
The New York Sour is a classic “whiskey sour” recipe, but with red wine floated on top. The wine adds a nice burst of fruitiness and creates layers of flavor for a stunning effect — both visually and on the palate. It’s super tasty! Bulleit adds more spicy notes, whereas Evan Williams is a little more subtle. Four Roses is also pretty good in this cocktail.
Fireman’s Sour
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1 oz Appleton Estate dark rum (regular white label) |
Method: Shake all ingredients together with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass with some fresh ice. Garnish with a citrus wheel and cocktail cherry in the drink.
This recipe showcases a really nice Jamaican rum with delicious fruity apricot notes, combined with lime, pomegranate, and cherry fruits with balanced acidity.
My grenadine recipe is 2 cups pomegranate juice (Pom brand), 3 cups white sugar, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz dark muscovado sugar (Turbinado is a fine substitute), 0.4 g potassium sorbate (optional preservative), and 0.1 g potassium metabisulfite (optional preservative). Combine in a quart mason jar, stir, and gently heat in hot water until the sugar dissolves. Keep refrigerated.
Pisco Sour
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2 oz Barsol Pisco |
Method: Shake all ingredients together with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass with some fresh ice.
Pisco brandy is very flavorful and delicious. I prefer a 50/50 blend of Turbinado and white cane sugar when making the simple syrup for use in this cocktail, which adds a little more depth.