Perfect Whiskey Sour Recipe| (no sour mix, all-natural)

A perfectly balanced whiskey sour without sugary sour mix. This recipe blends whiskey, lemon, egg white (trust me) and maple syrup.

I’m a whiskey girl THROUGH and THROUGH but honestly, when my hubby starts pouring his Manhattans, I just can’t hang! They’re too strong for me. Not cool, I know, but I am who I am. So, I started leaning into a whiskey sour last year and I’ve finally got the recipe where I want it. And DANG are they good!

The whiskey sour is the perfect transitional and year-round drink because it’s cozy from the healthy glug of whiskey, but it’s perfectly bright a zippy from all of the lemon in there.

What makes a whiskey sour…sour?

While we’re talking about lemon, let’s call it what it is. Sour! That pucker-your-mouth tartness is exactly what wakes this cocktail right up and gives it its name – the whiskey sour.

Of course, in some mainstream establishments, the whiskey sour is made from whiskey and sour mix. Sour mix isn’t typically an ingredient I choose because it’s loaded with sugar and artificial crap and it tastes…well, artificial!

Fresh lemon juice is so much brighter and it gives this drink the perfect pucker you’re wanting from something with a title like “whiskey sour”. Plus, no need to go to the store and buy sour mix that will sit collecting dust in your liquor cabinet. Just grab an ole lemon out of the fridge and you’re about good to go!

To balance out the sour, you need some sweet

I actually love using maple syrup and agave in cocktails. I think they incorporate just as well as simple syrup and add a touch of flavor. Plus, avoiding refined sugar usually cuts down my chances of a possible headache the next day.

I chose maple for this drink to up the cozy, warm factor. Of course, you can absolutely sub simple syrup directly for maple, but why bother, really when I’m sure you more typically have maple syrup laying around the house.

But, you can’t stop at just whiskey, lemon and maple for the absolutely BEST whiskey sour. That would make things a little too baseline. Let’s talk about adding an egg white.

Egg whites in cocktails

I did this super responsible parenting thing where I took my daughter Madi to our local farm to grab some eggs and meat last week. And then, I proceeded to take said “eggs for our breakfast” and make cocktails with them. Whoops. At least I got 2 dozen. Follow me for more parenting tips!

ANYWAY – adding egg whites to cocktails helps to emulsify and adds this creamy, airy texture that is absolutely sublime – almost transcendent.

By adding an egg white before you vigorously shake your cocktail, you’re going to add depth and interest to your drink. It’s something really worth sipping on!

Of course, if raw eggs really give you the hebbie jeebies, you can leave it out but the cocktail will not be as good. Just being real with ya.

OK, get out your cocktail shaker and a coupe glass and give this baby a try!

If you’re a lover of classic whiskey cocktails, try our perfect Old Fashioned Cocktail on for size. I think you’ll find it fits well 🙂

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