The New York Sour is a two-tone whiskey sour created in the 1870s, by a bartender in Chicago, the cocktail has gone by many different names in the past, but New York Sour was the one that stuck. Back in the late 1800s, some bartenders were experimenting with what they called a ‘Claret Snap’. The claret snap was a cocktail with a two-tone look to it, created by floating a small amount of red wine on the top, today in bartending terms, this layering is simply called a float. The New York Sour recipe is basically a regular whiskey sour made visually more interesting by the addition of a little red wine.
This cocktail is typically made with a fruity red wine such as a Malbec or a Shiraz, however, I think the amount of wine is so small, any red will work. A Shiraz will add just a tiny little spiciness to the cocktail, I enhance this, and play with it even more with a dash of bitters just to set it more apart from a regular whiskey sour.
Last night we had a 2013 bottle of Côte du Rhône and had a small amount leftover. As I a firm believer in waste not, want not, we now have a great excuse to have a New York Sour, or two!
Here’s my New York Sour recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Ounces Bourbon
- 1 Ounce Lemon Juice
- 1 Ounce Simple Syrup (50/50 sugar & water)
- Dash Angostura Bitters
- ½-1 Ounce Red Wine
PROCESS:
-Combine all the ingredients except the wine in a cocktail shaker over ice, shake until ice cold, about 40-50 shakes
-Serve on the rocks in an Old-Fashioned Glass
-Over the back of a spoon, gently pour the wine into the cocktail so that it creates the two-tone effect
-Garnish with a lemon twist
Cheers!
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