New York Sour
A bourbon sour with a layer of dry red wine on top: tart, full-bodied and beautifully layered in the glass.
Ingredients
- Bourbon60 ml
- Red wine, dry and tannic, such as Shiraz, Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon15 ml
- Lemon juice, freshly squeezed30 ml
- Simple syrup (1 part Sugar, 1 part Water)22.5 ml
- Egg white, optional, for a silky foam (optional)15 ml
- Lemon, lemon or orange peel, expressed over the drink (optional)1 twist
- Cocktail cherry, optional, to garnish (optional)1 whole
Method
- Fill a shaker with ice and add the bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup.
- If you are using egg white, shake first without ice for about 10 seconds (a dry shake) to emulsify, then add ice and shake again for 10–15 seconds.
- Without egg white, simply shake hard with ice for 10–15 seconds, until the drink is well chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Pour the red wine slowly over the back of a bar spoon, so it settles in a clear layer on top of the drink.
- Garnish with an expressed lemon or orange peel and, if you like, a cocktail cherry.
About this drink
The New York Sour emerged in the 1880s in Chicago and New York as a Whiskey Sour with a twist: a floating layer of red wine on top. The wine adds aroma and a tart, tannic contrast to the whiskey's sweetness, and it is exactly that visual and flavour layer that has made the drink a classic again in modern cocktail bars. The egg white is optional, but gives a handsome foamy surface that holds the wine's fragrance.
Questions and answers
How do you get the red wine to float on a New York Sour?
Pour it slowly over the back of a bar spoon or other spoon held just above the surface of the drink, so it settles as a clear layer instead of sinking and mixing in.
Which red wine suits a New York Sour best?
A full-bodied, fruity red with good acidity, such as a Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon, gives the most striking contrast to bourbon's sweetness and lemon's acidity.
Can you leave out the egg white in a New York Sour?
The egg white is optional. Without it the drink becomes a clean, clear sour with a layer of red wine, rather than one with a soft foam beneath the red.
