Dueling Weapon For The First Week of Spring

The Whiskey Sour marks one of the most refreshing drinks while being one of easiest to conquer. This particular recipe comes from acoupleofcooks.com and it’s (insert kissing noise) perfect to drink!

The history of the Whiskey Sour is an extensive one, dating back to 1870’s. The oldest historical mention of a whiskey sour was published in the Wisconsin newspaper, Waukesha Plain Dealer, in 1870. It was also published in the Bartenders Manual of 1882 so by then, it had gain notoriety.

We can just image the scene:
It’s a slow Tuesday in Deadwood South Dakota in July 1876. We walk into the dark bar Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon, only lit by the sunlight. There’s a group of tough guys on the side playing cards including Wild Bill Hickok, I think he’s holding a pair of aces and eights. On the side of the bar there’s a woman talking to a man with a crazy Dr. Ivo Robotnik mustache. She is staring at us strangers, that’s Calamity Jane, she nods causing the man she’s talking to, Seth Bullock to turn to us. She’s talking about Wild Bill, we notice she’s smitten.

Bartender is wearing a white shirt with a bowtie and asks:

Bartender: What will it be boys?

We muster up our toughest old west cowboy voices.

Us: Whiskey. (We say it with our chest, with authority)

Brief pause as the bartender sizes us up. We panic as the bartender grabs an unmarked bottle of something.

Us: ah…but can you make it a little fancier?

Bartender: I got you. (cause that’s what they say in the old west, they all say I got you.)

And he proceed to make the following recipe published in Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual (1882).

114 – Whiskey Sour
(Use a large bar glass)
One-Half table-spoon of sugar;
3 or 4 dashes of lemon juice;
1 squirt of Syphon Selters water, and dissolve well
the sugar and the lemon with a spoon.
Fill the glass with ice;
1 wine glass of whiskey;
stir up well, strain into a sour glass; place your
fruit into it, and serve.

(Kinda fun scene)

But here’s the recipe from A Couple of Cooks (acoupleofcooks.com) we mentioned earlier:

Best Whiskey Sour Recipe (Family Favorite)

• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) bourbon whiskey*
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) pure maple syrup (or simple syrup)
• Garnish: Orange peel and a cocktail cherry
• Ice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, and syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with a handful of ice and shake until very cold.
2. Strain the drink into a lowball or Old Fashioned glass. Serve with ice, an orange peel and a cocktail cherry. 

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~Neptali Figueroa for Drinkhonorably.com