This is article I wrote for South Jersey Magazine. Because of space considerations, they weren’t able to publish the whole thing. On the internet, where we laugh at such things and don’t worry about Perfume ads crowding text space, here is the whole thing =). Bonus Points if you drink this while watching Justified and wearing a Cowboy Hat.
Mixology Monthly: Whiskey Sour
WARNING: Although a sour is a very common drink, most people have never had one made with fresh ingredients. After you make this drink, you will never order a drink with sour mix at a bar again. The taste and freshness of the ingredients is incredible (and cheap), that you’ll never go back. Bartender beware.
The tried and true formula for ALL sour drinks goes:
1 part sweet (simple syrup)
1 part sour (homemade lemon juice)
2 parts strong (liquor of your choice)
Easy.
Here’s the recipe for our specific drink:
3/4 oz. Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
3/4 oz. Fresh Squeezed Meyer Lemon Juice
1.5 oz. Jack Daniels
Shake and Strain into a highball glass (any glass at home works, really) filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with a flag (orange and cherry) or an orange wheel.
The Whiskey Sour is a drink that is popular both in the winter and the summer, and in March, when the weather changes, and the first warm days start peeking through the grey, the perfect drink will wake us up, refresh us, and remind us of what’s to come.
We’re using Jack Daniels because it’s cheap, it’s popular, and because it has a sweet and sour flavor profile (because of the mash that is reused from year to year). It’s absolutely perfect for this drink.
To start, we’re goign to make brown sugar simple syrup. We’re using brown sugar because it makes a rich dark syrup with a beautiful texture. We’re making the simple syrup traditionally, which means 1 part brown sugar, and one part boiling water. I like to get mine as thick and syrupy as I possibly can. You can make it in a sauce pan, but I just take a pyrex cup and boil water, and drop it right on the sugar. If you have extra, it’ll keep for a couple weeks in the fridge.
And now for the secret ingredient
(Image Credit: lemontree1.com)
Meyer Lemons. The Meyer Lemon is best described as a cross between a lemon and a tangerine. They were discovered in China but in the winter they are in season in California.
Where can I get Meyer Lemons?
For the purposes of researching this article, we called five Trader Joe’s locations in PA and NJ, they stock Meyer Lemons for as long as they can get them.
We’re using Meyer Lemons because they’re sweeter than regular lemons, so they’re a perfect match for a sour.
You’ll want to use to crushed ice if you can, and then you can garnish the drink with a garnish called a flag, which is an orange tied to a cherry. My personal favorite for this garnish is an orange wheel, which complements the tangerine flavor of the lemons, and looks better. Customers won’t complain, they’re sick of maraschino cherries anyway.
Enjoy!
