Tomorrow is National Whiskey Sour Day, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate. By the way, am I the only one who looks up beverage holidays and bases their drinking schedule around it? No? OK good.
Whiskey sours are what first got me interested in that brown nectar of the gods way before I knew what a good whiskey was. And this hasn’t changed now that my taste is more expensive. The first whiskey sour I tried wasn’t one in the traditional sense, but it is what we’re spotlighting this week.
The drink I had (more than 10 years ago) was a blackberry whiskey sour, and I haven’t seen one on a cocktail menu since, which I don’t get — the addition of blackberries is so simple yet perfect, like they were made for the drink. Maybe it’s why I’m now seeing blackberry bourbon on the shelves of liquor stores (pro tip: it’s good).
One thing to not do when making the cocktail? Waste your money on bottled sour mix. It’s too easy to make your own; just take the extra step and squeeze some citrus. Besides, the mix is also good for margaritas, so it won’t go to waste.
Whiskey enthusiasts are in for a treat with this twist on a classic, and I also urge you to serve it to a non-whiskey drinker. The flavors within the blackberry whiskey sour make it a good place for the spirit’s naysayers to start. Now, step into the world of awesomeness that is whiskey.
Blackberry Whiskey Sour
Makes 1
Sour Mix:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool. In a cup or container, pour in lemon and lime juices. When simple syrup is cool, stir it into the juice mixture. Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. (This makes 3 cups.)
Cocktail:
4 blackberries
1.5-2 ounces whiskey (I used Jack Daniel’s)
4-6 ounces sour mix
In a Collins glass, muddle 3 blackberries. Top with ice. Add whiskey and fill the rest of the glass with sour mix. Garnish with the leftover blackberry.
Follow @cfasick on Twitter, or email him at cdfasick@gmail.com if there’s a cocktail or recipe you’d like featured.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2016.
