How to Make Twists on a Classic
The smoothest and most elegant way to make a Whiskey Sour is to make it with egg white. Now, if you were disinclined to try it before, I doubt I just sweetened the pot with the promise of a raw egg, but hear me out: Just like when you eat them, egg whites don’t taste like anything really, but serve here to give the whole cocktail a velvety texture, a pretty white head, and most importantly, to bind to the tannins in the spirit, smoothing out the rougher edges of the whiskey.
It’s difficult to overstate how effective an egg white is in transforming whiskey’s astringency into something silky smooth. Usually, whiskey’s oak tannins behave in cocktails like a manspreader in a middle seat in coach, all elbows and knees, crowding out the other flavors… but the egg whites completely neutralize it (in this simile, it would be what, Xanax?) This is the version you’ll get in most cocktail bars, and the best choice when shaking with bourbon or rye, which have the most aggressive tannins. Honestly, the egg white’s almost too effective—I’ll reach for a bourbon here at least 45 percent alcohol to make sure it’s got the weight to not disappear. Lots of bourbons work great here (and ryes, for that matter) but if I had to pick one, I’d go with Elijah Craig, which is right in the sweet spot of age, proof, mashbill and price.
A necessary note: egg whites are largely safe, but if you’re nervous or immunocompromised, feel free to use in-shell pasteurized eggs. If you’re vegan, you can use aquafaba, which functions more or less identically. If all you have is a carton of pre-cracked, pre-separated egg whites, perhaps consider making it as below.
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 0.75 oz. simple syrup
- 1 egg white
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin. “Dry” shake ingredients without ice for five seconds to whip the egg. Add ice, seal tins and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds. Strain into coupe or Martini glass—it’ll come out white at first, and the color will emerge over the course of a minute under a paper-smooth head of foam. Express a lemon peel over the top of the foam for aroma and discard and decorate the foam with a few drops or dashes of Angostura Bitters.
