Most of the classic sours follow one simple pattern: a spirit, something sour and something sweet. Learn it once and you can make a Daiquiri, a Margarita, a Whisky Sour and a Gimlet with no recipe card.
The formula
For one drink, start with these three parts:
- 60 ml spirit for the base.
- 25 ml fresh citrus juice for the sour.
- 15 to 20 ml sugar syrup for the sweet (equal parts sugar and water, stirred until clear).
Shake everything hard with ice for about 12 seconds, until the shaker is frosty, then strain into a chilled glass. Taste it. If it is too sharp, add a little syrup. If it is too sweet, add a little juice.
Four drinks, one pattern
Daiquiri
60 ml light rum, 25 ml lime juice, 15 to 20 ml syrup. Strain into a chilled coupe. Clean, simple and very good when it is made well.
Margarita
50 ml tequila, 20 ml orange liqueur, 20 ml lime juice. The orange liqueur replaces most of the syrup. Rim the glass with salt if you like, and shake with ice.
Whisky Sour
60 ml bourbon, 25 ml lemon juice, 15 to 20 ml syrup. For a silky foam, add one egg white and shake once without ice first, then again with ice. Leave the egg out if you prefer, and use a pasteurised egg white if you are serving anyone for whom raw egg is a concern.
Gimlet
60 ml gin, 20 ml lime cordial (or 20 ml fresh lime juice with 15 ml syrup). Shake, strain into a chilled glass and finish with a twist of lime. It is the sharpest and cleanest of the four.
Four small tips
- Squeeze citrus fresh. Bottled juice tastes flat.
- Use plenty of good ice and shake until the shaker is cold to hold.
- Chill your glass in the freezer for ten minutes if you can.
- Measure. A few millilitres either way changes the balance.
Common house recipes. Brands and the sweetness of your syrup will change the balance, so taste as you go. Please drink responsibly.
