Tequila Sour is a deliciously refreshing sweet and sour drink with a foamy head! It’s a mix of a spicy 1920s cocktail with a margarita.
Here is a sparkling and refreshing drink you need in your life: a Tequila sour! It’s basically a cross between a spicy 1920’s cocktail and a margarita. This tasty drink has vintage vibes and lots of lime flavor. Think of it as a classic Boston + Sour Margarita, with some added bitterness for added allure. Alex and I are big fans of sour cocktails and loved the refreshing taste and creamy, frothy foam. This one is worth a try…Statistics!
What’s in a Tequila Sour?
A tequila sour belongs to the sour cocktail family. Acids are made up of three parts: liquor, citrus, and sweetener. The general equation for an acid is: 2 ounces alcohol, ¾ ounce sour, ¾ ounce sweet. Of course there are all sorts of variations on the theme! This is the basic formula, but modified in various cocktail recipes. The most classic sours are the whiskey sour and the pisco sour. But what’s in a tequila sour? The ingredients are :
- tequila
- lime juice
- lemon juice
- Agave syrup or simple syrup
- Angostura Bitters
- protein
A related drink: the margarita!
You’ll find that the Tequila Sour looks a lot like a classic margarita! Of course, the margarita has no bitterness or protein foam and uses lime juice and Cointreau (orange liqueur) as sweeteners. Nevertheless: It is a very similar drink!
do you like margaritas Be sure to check out our 15 Best Margarita Recipes and don’t miss our Best Tequila Cocktails.
How to Make a Tequila Sour (Basic Steps)
The Tequila Sour is prepared like any classic sour cocktail. Since it contains egg white mousse, there is an extra step to make the mousse filling. Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe):
- Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake 15 seconds without ice.
- Pour ice into shaker and shake again for 30 seconds.
- Pour into a glass and decorate. Garnishing a sour with a cocktail cherry is classic: while it’s not mandatory, we like to do it for a little flair.
The technique above to get that lovely frothy filling is called a dry shake! Here’s more…
Tip for the protein mousse: a dry shake!
Protein has been added to beverages for about a century. Why? The mousse adds a fun frothy texture on top and adds a rich, creamy flavor (it can also tone down the citrus flavor). How do you get the best protein foam? It’s called a shake dry. That means you shake the ingredients first without ice. This allows the protein in the egg to break down and foam up instead of being diluted by the ice.
Then you will add the ice and shake again. This will cool the drink and increase the foam. Strain into the glass and you will get a thick layer of white foam. This technique isn’t just used in tequila sours: you’ll see it in other protein cocktails like the Classic Gin Fizz, Clover Club, Boston Sour, Gin Sour, and Vodka Sour.
Is there a vegan protein substitute for cocktails?
There are! If you’ve mastered vegan cooking, you can probably guess. That is Aquafaba! Aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas. Because it’s starchy, it can act as an egg-like binding agent. Two tablespoons of aquafaba equals one egg white, you can use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba in this recipe as the equivalent of the actual egg white. It’s the same kind of foam!
Use Tequila Reposado if you have it!
Any type of tequila will work for this sour tequila: we recommend finding one in the mid to higher price range. The quality of the drink is as good as alcohol! We also like to use tequila repsoado (aged tequila) in this drink because it adds more nuance to the drink. Think subtle flavors of vanilla and caramel. But you can also use Tequila Blanco: it simply tastes easier!
Angostura bitters to seal the deal
Tequila Sour works without bitter substances. But for the very better Tequila Sour we recommend adding a few drops of bitters! Angostura bitters are commonly used in cocktails to add a complex, bitter undertone. They make a drink with just a few drops from a note to an exceptional complex! In this drink, we added the bitters to the cocktail itself: you’ll see that some protein cocktails add the bitter drops to the foam as well.
Angostura bitters are one of the most popular and easily found beverages. They got their name from their manufacturer: Maison Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. (Learn more here.) Other cocktails that use Angostura bitters? The Old Fashioned Cocktail, Toronto, Manhattan, Trinidad Sour and Champagne.
When to serve a tequila sour
The Tequila Sour is both classy and relaxed! It’s perfect for sipping as:
- Happy hour drink
- Drink at dinner
- Summer drink on the terrace
- Late night drinks
- Evening drink between boys or between girls
- Aperitif at aperitif time
The description
Tequila Sour is a deliciously refreshing sweet and sour drink with a foamy head! It’s a mix of a spicy 1920s cocktail with a margarita.
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) rested tequila
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lemon juice
- ½ ounce (1 tbsp) lime juice
- 2 teaspoons Agave nectar or simple syrup
- 2 Shot Angostura Bitters
- 1 Protein*
- For the garnish: cocktail cherry and lime wedge
- In a cocktail shaker without ice, combine tequila, lemon juice, lime juice, syrup, bitters and egg white. Shake for 15 seconds.
- Put the ice in the cocktail shaker. Shake again for 30 seconds.
- Strain the drink into a glass; foam collects at the top. Serve with a lime wedge and a cocktail cherry.
Remarks
* Replace 2 tablespoons of aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) with a vegan version.
- Category: drink
- Method: Shocked
- Kitchen: cocktails
- Diet: vegetarian
Sour cocktails
Acid cocktails are a family of cocktails based on alcohol, acid, and sugar elements. That’s true of many different cocktails, even if their name doesn’t include the word “sour”! Here are some of our favourites:
