Scotch Sour

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (143 ratings)

Serve in an

Old-fashioned glass

Garnish:

Lemon & orange zest twists

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain back into shaker. DRY SHAKE (without ice) to emulsify and fine strain into ice-filled glass.

2 fl oz Blended Scotch whisky
5/6 fl oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 fl oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water, 65.0°Brix)
1/2 fl oz Egg white (pasteurised) or Aquafaba (chickpea water) or 3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam cocktail foamer
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Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

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Recipe contains the following allergens:

  • Egg white (pasteurised) – Eggs

Review:

This drink is sadly often overlooked in favour of the bourbon-based Whiskey Sour.

Depending on the peatiness of the whisky, I don't tend to add bitters to a Scotch Sour. However, as David A. Embury says in his 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, "Two dashes of Angostura to each drink constitute a pleasing addition to this drink. Lime juice may be used in place of lemon, but, to most tastes, lemon combines more pleasingly with whisky than does lime. Scotch or Irish may be used in place of rye or bourbon, but the smoky taste of Scotch does not combine pleasingly with citrus juices."

While I'm usually in full agreement with Embury, I vehemently disagree with his opinion regarding the pairing of peaty Scotch and citrus. And for evidence to back my argument, I call The Penicillin Cocktail.

Nutrition:

One serving of Scotch Sour contains 193 calories.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 15.35% alc./vol. (30.7° proof)
  • 17.6 grams of pure alcohol
Difford's Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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National Chocolate Milkshake Day image

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