Best Whiskey Sour Recipe (Family Favorite!)

This easy whiskey sour recipe is perfectly balanced and so easy to make! Garnish with an orange zest and a cocktail cherry.

It was the cocktail that started it all. At A Couple Cooks, we’re obsessed with cocktails. We have countless cocktail recipes. But the first thing that got us addicted to good cocktails was this whiskey sour recipe! Whiskey Sour is a perfectly sweet and balanced whiskey drink that actually dates back to the 1870s. This recipe uses bourbon and maple syrup: and boy is it good! It’s become a family favorite – you’ll see it often at our family gatherings. Here is the recipe and how it came about.

Whiskey Sour ingredients

The whiskey sour (aka bourbon sour) is a classic cocktail that is on the International Bartender Association’s list of official IBA cocktails. This means that there is an official definition. Our version stays true to the original definition with a few changes. The ingredients for a whiskey sour recipe are simple! What you need for this classic sparkling cocktail:

• Bourbon whiskey: highest possible quality (you can use any whiskey, but we prefer the taste of bourbon)
• lemon juice
• maple syrup or simple syrup
• Garnish with orange zest and cocktail cherry

Alex and I like to use maple syrup to sweeten our cocktails. It’s a natural sweetener and adds a nuanced flavor to a drink that a simple syrup doesn’t have. In consecutive taste tests, maple syrup always wins! Plus, we always have it handy in our fridge. If you prefer the pure and simple taste of plain syrup, you can use that one too.

Other variants: Sour the whiskey with honey syrup and become a gold rush! Or make a lime whiskey sour or an amaretto whiskey sour.

How to sour a whiskey

Simply shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, done! The measurements in the recipe below: in ounces and tablespoons for ease of cooking at home. Simply shake all the ingredients together in a shaker until cold. You can also cheat and just mix them until the syrup has dissolved. Serve over ice and enjoy! Try our Clear Ice if you want a stunning look.

The Whiskey Sour is traditionally served with a slice of orange and a cocktail cherry. You can also add an egg white for a frothy topping: this makes it a Boston Sour! See Whiskey Sour with Egg White for more information. If you make this drink with bourbon, you can also call it a bourbon sour.

To do what The Whiskey Sour Recipe

I wasn’t a whiskey sour fan until the drink was introduced to our family by Alex’s stepdad Joe. Joe is 1000% obsessed with this tangy sweet beverage. If he’s entertaining, he’ll always ask: “Fancy a whiskey sour?” Naturally, over the years this drink has become the benchmark for festive family celebrations.

In honor of Joe’s 50th birthday, we created this all-natural sour whiskey recipe as an alternative to the store-bought mix he usually buys. Using maple syrup and fresh lemon juice, this recipe really is for the very best Best whiskey sour recipe! Joe started serving it often and it was a hit with cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Now when our family gets together, you’ll see a tall jar of maple syrup and a ton of lemons on the counter. Would you like to try our family recipe?

Sour whiskey blend

Let’s say you’re looking for a sour whiskey mix but don’t want to buy those store-bought containers with lots of sugar. You can also use this recipe as a mix to make multiple drinks at once! Just mix together a large amount of maple and lemon juice.

To prepare an 8-glass whiskey sour mix: Mix together 1 cup lemon juice and ¾ cup pure maple syrup. Or make this homemade sweet and sour mix. To prepare a single drink, measure 3 ½ tablespoons of the mixture with 4 tablespoons of whiskey. It is so easy! To learn more, visit Whiskey Sour Mix.

Looking for easier cocktail recipes?

Aside from this whiskey sour recipe, here are some of our favorite cocktail recipes:

• Classic Margarita The Best Classic Margarita: Lime, Tequila, and Cointreau. Perfection! And here are 10+ ways to make a margarita.
• Best Gin Tonic Here are the keys to the best gin tonic, the most refreshing 2 ingredient cocktail! A few mysteries take over this crunchy, botanical drink.
• Tom Collins Cocktail This popular sweet and sour cocktail is light and sparkling! Don’t forget the cherry.
• Prosecco Mimosa Here is the best mimosa recipe! This one is made with Italian Prosecco, orange juice and a dash of Cointreau for the perfect bubbly tart flavor.
• Classic Old Fashioned The oldest cocktail ever! The classic method uses a sugar cube, bitters and bourbon whiskey for a truly timeless drink. Or browse all of our top bourbon cocktails.

This whiskey sour recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened and refined sugar free.

Looking for more drink recipes?

And some more popular drink recipes here:

Last update: April 2020