Whiskey sour with a dried lemon wheel.
The whiskey sour is the drink that taught a generation that sour and sweet and strong can all sit in one glass without arguing. Bourbon, fresh lemon, sugar, and a little egg white for that pillowy top. Skip the egg and it's still good. Keep it and it's a proper occasion.
The garnish is meant to sit on that foam like it belongs there. A fresh lemon slice slumps into the surface and breaks the head you worked for. A dried lemon wheel perches lightly on top, takes the bitters beautifully, and keeps the foam intact right to the bottom of the glass.
What you'll need
- 50ml bourbon
- 25ml fresh lemon juice
- 20ml sugar syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
- 15ml egg white (or aquafaba for a vegan version)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dried lemon wheel
How to make it
- In a shaker, combine the bourbon, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and egg white. No ice yet.
- Dry shake hard for 10 seconds with no ice. This whips the egg white into foam.
- Add ice and shake again for 10 seconds to chill and dilute.
- Double-strain into a chilled rocks glass or coupe so the foam pours clean.
- Float a dried lemon wheel on the foam and add two dashes of Angostura on top. The bitters and the wheel are the finish.
Why dried beats fresh here
A fresh lemon slice is heavy and wet, and on a delicate egg-white foam that's the end of the foam. It sinks, it drags, it leaves a soggy crater. A dried lemon wheel weighs almost nothing, so it rests on the surface and lets the head stay proud. It also catches a dash of bitters across its rind, which looks the part and adds a whisper of aroma to every sip.
If you're skipping the egg white, the dried wheel matters even more: with no foam to carry the look, it's the one thing making the glass feel finished.
Use the Lemon jar, about 25 wheels, enough sours to last the season.