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This easy whiskey sour recipe is perfectly balanced and so easy to make! Garnish with an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.

This is the cocktail that started it all. Here at A Couple Cooks, we’re cocktail obsessed. We have a myriad of cocktail recipes. But the first that got us hooked on great cocktails was this whiskey sour recipe! The whiskey sour is a perfectly sweet tart, balanced whiskey drink that actually dates back to the 1870’s. This recipe uses bourbon and maple syrup: and man, is it tasty! It’s become a family favorite recipe — you’ll see it often at our family parties. Here’s the recipe and how it came to be.

Whiskey sour ingredients

The whiskey sour is a sour cocktail made with whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It’s often served with an egg white foam, in which case it’s often called a Boston Sour. This classic cocktail was first mentioned in a newspaper in 1870, so it’s been in existence for centuries.

The ingredients for making a whiskey sour are simple. It’s the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails, meaning it has an “official” definition. Here’s what you’ll need for this classic sour cocktail:

Bourbon whiskey: as high quality as possible (you can use any whiskey, but we prefer the flavor of bourbon)
Lemon juice
Simple syrup
Orange peel and cocktail cherry, for garnish

A note on the sweetener

Here are A Couple Cooks, we typically use simple syrup as our cocktail sweetener of choice. But we’ve found a great alterative that adds a nuance to the flavor of a drink: maple syrup! It’s a natural sweetener that brings caramel flavor undertones to the whiskey sour.

In back to back taste tests, maple syrup always wins! Plus, we always have it on hand in our refrigerator. If you prefer the pure, straightforward taste of simple syrup, you can use that too.

How to make a whiskey sour

The whiskey sour is a simple cocktail that’s straightforward to put together. Note that when you make this drink with bourbon, you can also call it a Bourbon Sour. Here are a few tips before you jump to the recipe below:

Measure 2 ounces whiskey, 1 ounce lemon juice, and ¾ ounce simple syrup. We prefer bourbon in our whiskey sour, but you can make it with any type of whiskey.
Shake all the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker until cold. Serve over lots of ice and enjoy! Try our clear ice if you want a stunning look.
Add an egg white if desired. Whiskey sours are traditionally served with a slice or orange and a cocktail cherry. You can also add an egg white to get a frothy foam topping: that makes it a Boston Sour! Go to Whiskey Sour with Egg White for more.

Why make this whiskey sour recipe

I wasn’t a whiskey sour fan until the drink was introduced to our family by Alex’s step-father, Joe. Joe is 1,000% passionate about this sweet tart drink. When he’s entertaining, he’ll always ask: “Want a whiskey sour?” So of course over the years, this drink has become the standard for festive family get-togethers.

In honor of Joe’s 50th birthday, we created this whiskey sour recipe as an alternative to the store-bought mix he usually buys. Making it with maple syrup and fresh lemon juice makes for the very best whiskey sour recipe! Joe started serving it often, and it was a hit with cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles alike. Now when our family gets together, you’ll see a big jug of maple syrup and a ton of lemons on the counter.

Whiskey sour mix

Let’s say you’re looking for a whiskey sour mix, but you don’t want to get one of those store bought containers with lots of sugar. You can also use this recipe as a mix to make lots of drinks at once! Simply mix up a big batch of the maple and lemon juice.

Here’s how to make a whiskey sour mix for 8 drinks: Mix 1 cup lemon juice plus ¾ cup pure maple syrup. Or, make this Homemade Sweet and Sour Mix.
To make a single drink, measure out 3 ½ tablespoons of the mix with 4 tablespoons whiskey. It’s that simple! For more, go to Whiskey Sour Mix.

Variations on the whiskey sour

The whiskey sour is so iconic, there are many variations on this drink! Here are a few notable variations:

Try the Gold Rush, a whiskey sour made with honey syrup
Add lime for a Whiskey Sour with Lime or cranberry for a Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour
Infuse it with the popular Italian liqueur for an Amaretto Whiskey Sour
Make a Whiskey Sour with Egg White, also known as a Boston Sour
Go for the Ward 8 Cocktail, a riff on the whiskey sour with rye whiskey, orange and grenadine

Gold Rush Cocktail

Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour

Ward 8 Cocktail

Amaretto Whiskey Sour

This whiskey sour recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.

Our Favorite Home Bar Equipment

Cocktail Measuring Glass