Shake the citrus base, strain, top with Champagne, and stir gently
French 75
Cold gin, bright lemon, and a long lift of fine Champagne bubbles.
Shake hard and fine strain over fresh ice
Whiskey Sour
A clean, no-egg whiskey sour that makes sweet-and-sour balance easy to taste.
Verified by CocktailSteps Editorial Team
- Time
- 5 minutes
- Level
- Easy
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Approx. ABV
- 18% · Medium
Measured for the room
Ingredients
2 ozBourbonRecommended brandWild Turkey 101
0.75 ozFresh lemon juiceRecommended brandSunkist Lemon
0.75 ozSimple syrupRecommended brandMonin Pure Cane Syrup
2 dashesAromatic bittersRecommended brandANGOSTURA Aromatic Bitters
1 pieceCocktail cherryOptionalRecommended brandLuxardo Original Maraschino Cherries
Amounts scale from the verified one-glass recipe. Technique and timing stay unchanged.
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Bourbon
Aromatic bitters
Measured method
How to make Whiskey Sour
- 01
Measure the sour
2 oz bourbon · ¾ oz lemon · ¾ oz syrup · 2 dashes bitters
Add 2 oz bourbon, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice, ¾ oz simple syrup, and 2 dashes aromatic bitters to the shaker.
Measure the sour visual check - 02
Shake hard
Shake with ice · 12 sec
Fill the shaker with cubed ice, seal it, and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Shake hard visual check - 03
Strain over fresh ice
Fine strain over cubed ice
Fill a chilled rocks glass with fresh cubed ice, then fine strain the Whiskey Sour over it.
Strain over fresh ice visual check - 04
Add the cherry
1 cocktail cherry
Spear 1 cocktail cherry on a cocktail pick and rest it across the rim, if using.
Add the cherry visual check
Key move
Use fresh lemon and measure the sweet-sour balance exactly
Verified technique note
Why this build works
Two ounces of bourbon establish a full whiskey base, while equal ¾-ounce measures of fresh lemon and simple syrup create an intentionally direct sweet-sour frame. The equal measures make the balance easy to reproduce, but the larger whiskey pour prevents the drink from becoming lemonade. Two dashes of aromatic bitters add spice without changing the volume enough to disturb that ratio. A hard 12-second shake chills, dilutes, and combines the citrus with the spirit. Fine straining over fresh ice avoids carrying broken shaker ice into the serving glass, where it would accelerate dilution.
Common failure points
- The sour becomes watery soon after it is served.
- Discard the shaker ice and fine strain over fresh, solid cubes.
- The drink tastes dull despite enough sweetness.
- Use freshly measured lemon juice rather than bottled or pre-squeezed juice.
Measure or substitute
Rye can replace bourbon at the same 2-ounce measure for a leaner spice profile. Demerara syrup can replace simple syrup at ¾ ounce, adding a darker sugar note without changing the balance.
Set the station
Tools
JiggerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom Japanese Style Jigger
Cocktail shakerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom KORIKO Shaking Tins
Fine strainerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom COCO Mesh Cone
Rocks glassRecommended brandRIEDEL Drink Specific Rocks Glass
Know the pour
Medium
A shaken bourbon sour softened by citrus, sugar, and dilution.
Contains alcohol. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age and enjoy responsibly.
