14 Classic Sour Cocktails To Try

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

The most favored drinks have traditionally been sour ones because of their all-encompassing and distinctive flavor. However, great classics have a long and intriguing history, and they know how to please the palates of all mixology enthusiasts.

For those new to the world of mixology, picking the proper cocktail can be challenging. You could base your decision on the primary liquor, but it is frequently challenging to correlate names and flavors. It would help if you considered your favorites while making a decision. For example, some people favor bitter flavors, while others favor sweet ones.

One of the oldest cocktail families is the sour family, and with good reason! No matter what era you are in, sweet tarts have a timeless flavor. Bitter is what? It is a blended beverage made with citrus, licorice, and sugar.

The common names for cocktails that belong to the sour family might surprise you. So we’ve set out to show you some of the best sour cocktails you should try.

The Vodka Sour

A classic sour cocktail, the vodka sour is an incredibly sweet-tart topped with sparkling egg white foam! To make the perfect foam, use a dry whipping technique.

Vodka is highly versatile. It’s a blank canvas, thanks to its clean, neutral flavor! As a result, vodka is one of many “go-to” liquors when making cocktails, from thirst-quenching drinks like the Moscow Mule to more sophisticated drinks like the Cosmopolitan!

The variation for this cocktail includes liquor, lemon, lime juice, or a sweetener. So, for this cocktail, you’ll need smooth vodka, Grey Goose, Sipsmith, Snow Leopard, and a fresh lemon juice.

The Amaretto Sour

Do you enjoy Amaretto? Then here is the most delicious Amaretto Sour you can ever have! This traditional Sour cocktail is made with Amaretto as the main ingredient and tops it off with the almond syrup.

Mix two parts Amaretto, one part lemon juice, one part sugar syrup, and a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake the cocktail until the ice cubes have melted, then serve in a sturdy glass.

You can also shake the drink without ice cubes and serve it ‘on the rocks,’ with the ice in the glass. Garnish with maraschino cherries or a wedge of lime.

Add one more part of whiskey, preferably an American Bourbon, to make this cocktail less sweet. In this manner, the sour becomes slightly stronger and more balanced in flavor.

The variation of this cocktail is that you can use Douwe Egberts Almond Syrup instead of making your sugar syrup. This improves the flavor of the Amaretto only if you adore almonds!

The Simple Sour

The Simple Sour cocktail is the foundation for the original sour cocktail. The basis is in the 2:1:1 ratio (drink: sweet: sour). As a result, you can combine two parts Gin, Jenever, Rum, or Whiskey, with one part sweet (sugar syrup) and one part sour (squeezed lime or lemon).

So it doesn’t matter what kind of drink you take; if the proportions are correct, you can call it a sour.

Pour two parts Jenever into a cocktail shaker to make this Simple Sour. 1 part lemon juice and 1 part sugar syrup. Shake everything up with a few ice cubes until the shaker is cold. Serve this Simple Sour in a whiskey glass, other suitable vessels, or other ‘Rocks’ glass.

The Oakheart Sour

Do you enjoy using Rum in your cocktails? The Oakheart Sour is a nice twist on traditional sour recipes.

One of the newer Rum varieties, the Bacardi Oakheart, is at the heart of this Oakheart Sour. This Rum has only been on the market for a few years, but it has quickly become a fan favorite.

This is a ‘Spiced Rum’ containing cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and honey. Oakheart is a smooth rum that can be used in various ways.

To make the Oakheart Sour, combine two parts Bacardi Oakheart, one part lemon juice, and one part sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker.

Add a few cubes of ice and vigorously shake everything together. Serve in a whiskey glass filled with ice and garnished with a slice of lime, lemon, or maraschino cherries.

Whiskey Sour

The most traditional sour cocktail of all: whiskey sour! It is a well-known drink that has been around for hundreds of years. It has a perfectly balanced flavor of sweet, acid, and liqueur.

The classic sour, one of the oldest cocktails, comprises three ingredients: spirit, citrus, and sugar. The Whiskey Sour, which has been satisfying thirsty drinkers for a century and a half, is included in this category.

It’s unclear when the cocktail was invented (or who designed it), but it dates back to the Lincoln administration, with the first printed recipe appearing in the famed “Jerry Thomas Bartenders Guide” in 1862.

The variations for this cocktail include Boston Sour (egg white), Gold Rush (honey syrup), Whiskey Smash

The Pisco Sour

Pisco is a grape-distilled spirit invented in the 16th century. Piscos vary in style and grape variety, with flavors ranging from dry and earthy to floral and fruity. Because the Pisco Sour does not specify which pisco to use, adventurous drinkers can experiment to find which they prefer.

There is no other drink like it. There’s a reason why this sour cocktail from Peru is so popular. It’s simply that good. The pisco melds with the lime to create a bright, mellow, and distinctly magical drink.

The bitters sit on the drink’s fluffy head, which is achieved by dry-shaking it. That means shaking it without ice first to combine the liquid ingredients with the egg white, then shaking it again with ice to provide chill and dilution.

To make this cocktail, you need pisco, lime, simple syrup, egg white, and bitters, all required for this sour cocktail.

The Limoncello Sour

Limoncello! One of the most refreshing liqueurs on the market, perfect for a cocktail.

This cocktail is sour and citrusy, precisely as a sour should be.

The following ingredients are used to make the original Limoncello Sour, Limoncello, whiskey (preferably Bourbon), lemon juice, and sugar syrup.

In a cocktail shaker, mix all of the ingredients and serve in a sturdy whiskey glass. Garnish with lemon slices or maraschino cherries.

Would you prefer to keep the alcohol percentage lower? Then, combine two parts sparkling water or orange juice.

 

The Gin Fizz Cocktail

The Gin Fizz is among the most famous gin cocktails and contains bitters! It has traditional egg white foam and is top with soda water.

The fizz is a cocktail style that combines a spirit with citrus, sugar, and sparkling water. That’s because it tastes like a sour plus soda. Both drinks frequently contain egg white.

The first published recipe for a Gin Fizz appeared in Jerry Thomas’s 1876 edition of “The Bar-tenders Guide.” It’s essentially the protein-packed cousin of the Tom Collins, which combines gin, lemon, sugar, and soda.

This cocktail variation is sour Gin Bee Knee  (with honey syrup), and the ingredient are Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and sparkling water

The  Frangelico Sour

The delicious taste of hazelnut combined with the traditional Sour recipe. It’s worth a shot! The Frangelico Sour is a contemporary take on the classic Sour Cocktail. Frangelico is an Italian hazelnut liqueur that can be used in cocktails.

The Frangelico Sour, like the Amaretto Sour, has a good taste when combined with the right ingredients. As a result, it is advised that fresh ingredients be used. Bottled products cannot match the flavor of fresh lemon juice and handmade sugar syrup

In a cocktail shaker, mix the following ingredients to make a Frangelico Sour, whiskey (preferably American Bourbon), Frangelico, lemon juice, and sugar syrup.

Shake with a few ice cubes until cold, then strain into a sturdy whiskey glass. You can also make it without ice cubes in the shaker and serve it ‘on the rocks’ with ice in the glass.

 

Do you like Frangelico but find this cocktail a little too sour? This liqueur can also be consumed on its own or mixed into hot chocolate.

 

The South Side Cocktail

The South Side is a one-of-a-kind bitter cocktail! It’s a stimulating gin drink made with mint, lemon, and lime, similar to a gin mojito!

If you ask your local bartender or cocktail historian to describe the South Side, you’ll likely get various answers. Some call it a Gimlet with mint served in a cocktail glass. Some call it a gin-based Mint Julep served over ice.

It’s possible that the drink was named after the Chicago neighborhood’s South Side or was invented at Long Island’s Southside Sportsmen’s Club. In any case, the South Side, with its refreshing blend of gin, citrus, sugar, and mint, is a classic cocktail worth learning about—and drinking.

The recipe dates back to at least 1916, when it was published as the South Side Fizz in Huge Enslinn’s book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks.” His concoction included gin, lemon and lime juices, sugar, mint, and club soda. If you remove the bubbles and one of the citrus fruits, you get the South Side as we know it today.

The variation for this cocktail includes Southside Fizz (soda water added), and the ingredients are Gin, lemon juice, lime juice, fresh mint, and simple syrup.

Pomegranate Martini

The Pomegranate Martini is another strong martini cocktail variation. Crisp, tart, sweet, fruity, and light – it tastes more like a Cosmo than a martini. It’s made with pomegranate juice instead of cranberry juice!

The pomegranate martini is a refreshing cocktail popular among fruity vodka martinis. This Christmas cocktail is enhanced by using fresh pomegranate juice when the fruit is in its season. But, of course, you can also buy juice at the store to make this lovely martini all year.

This cocktail is a straightforward take on the cosmopolitan. Pomegranate juice will be used instead of cranberry juice, and it will be shaken with cosmo’s vodka, orange liqueur, and citrus juice.

There are numerous ways to customize the pomegranate martini recipe. For a festive touch, use pomegranate liqueur, give it a peachy twist, or serve it in a cinnamon sugar-rimmed glass. Its ingredients include vodka, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, Cointreau, and simple syrup.

Lemonrop Martini

The lemon drop martini is extremely sweet and tart! However, it’s festive and refreshing, with a hint of lemon and sugar sprinkles.

The lemon drop martini combines vodka, lemon juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup. It’s like grown-up lemonade, with the perfect balance of sweet and sour.

This cocktail is simple to make but try finding the right balance of ingredients. In that regard, this recipe hits all the right notes. It has a great balance of acidity and sweetness and a lovely spirit blend. Its ingredients include vodka or citron vodka, Cointreau, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

The Paloma

The Paloma is a refreshing, easy-to-make cooler made with tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda. Its origin story is hazy, but most reports place it in the 1950s. The traditional choice is Blanco tequila, but lightly aged reposado also works well.

Some people prefer to rim the glass of this cocktail with salt, while others add a pinch of salt to the glass. This step is optional but adds a savory note that pairs well with the earthy tequila and tart grapefruit.

It also opens the door to using a spiced salt, such as Tajn, for an extra seasoning kick. Because the Paloma is made entirely in glass, no bar tools are required. Instead, combine your ingredients in a highball glass with ice and serve for a refreshing cocktail. Tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda are among the ingredients.

The New York Sour

The New York Sour is a refreshing classic! Where the Whiskey Sour shines in simplicity, the New York Sour stands out due to its presentation. New Yorkers finish their sour with a splash of red wine.

The red wine will float on top of the sour if you make it suitable. So how does one make a New York Sour? You mix the following ingredients, whiskey (American, in this case, Jack Daniels), sugar syrup, lemon juice, and red wine cocktail glass for variety. In any case, it is easy to make, and it looks great.

Combine everything except the red wine in a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a strong whiskey glass. Finally, pour the red wine portion over the drink with the back of a tablespoon.

This keeps the red wine at the top of the cocktail visible. The finished result is not just delicious and simple to produce; it’s also a good idea if you’re making cocktails for a party or friends.

Discover more from SLURRED

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading