Name: New York Sour
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60 ml Bourbon whiskey; 30 ml Lemon juice; 15 ml Sugar syrup (2:1); 1 dash Aromatic bitters; 15 ml Egg white (pasteurised); 15 ml Claret wine

New York Sour
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Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
2 oz	Bourbon whiskey
1 oz	Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
1 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters
¹⁄₂ oz	Egg white (pasteurised) or 3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam cocktail foamer or Aquafaba or Vegan egg white alternative optional
¹⁄₂ oz	Claret wine (Bordeaux red) chilled

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice and strain back into shaker.
DRY SHAKE (without ice) to emulsify.
FINE STRAIN into ice-filled glass.
DRIZZLE red wine around the surface of the cocktail.
EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Egg white (pasteurised) - Eggs
Claret wine (Bordeaux red) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

A classic bourbon-based Whiskey Sour made more interesting – both visually and in flavour by the addition of a float of red wine.

Egg white is not classically used in a New York Sour but some prefer this drink with the mouthfeel and change of appearance egg white imparts.

British bartenders may prefer the following formula based on UK measures:
50 ml Bourbon whiskey
25 ml Lemon juice
12.5 ml Sugar syrup (2:1)
1 dash Angostura bitters
12.5 ml Egg white (optional)
12.5 ml Claret red wine

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AKA: Brunswick Sour; Chicago Sour; Claret Snap; Continental Sour; Southern

Variant:

Brunswick (a rye whiskey sour with a red wine float but with no egg white)
Continental Sour (a whiskey sour with a port wine float)
Greenwich Sour (a rye whiskey sour with egg white and a red wine float)
New York Stone Sour (a New York Sour with apricot liqueur and orange juice)
New Yorker (a New York Sour served straight-up with orange juice)

History:

Thought to have been first made in the 1880s by a bartender in Chicago, this drink was originally named the Continental Sour and then Southern Whiskey Sour, also masquerading as a Brunswick Sour and Claret Snap before becoming best known as the New York Sour, probably after a bartender in Manhattan started serving the drink and made it popular. It first appears in print under the New York Sour name in print in the 1934 Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide.
History of Sours family of cocktails and more recipies

Nutrition:

One serving of New York Sour contains 223 calories

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
15.73% alc./vol. (15.73° proof)
21.3 grams of pure alcohol

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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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Showing 10 of 14 comments for New York Sour.
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Simon Sedgley

20th May at 14:40

We tried this exceptional cocktail substituting Madeira for the Claret. Not as visually stunning but delicious for us. Drop the Madeira down to 10.0-12.5ml if you wish.

Henry Tran

9th October 2024 at 17:19

Made with this ratio and quite happy with it too:

45 ml Irish Whiskey
22.5 ml lemon juice
15 ml rich Demerara syrup
15 ml egg white
22.5 ml red wine float
Lemon oil

David Selle

15th June 2024 at 22:30

I like to swap out the sugar syrup for maple syrup, it's quite good this way (may need to adjust the amount depending on your syrup).

Clarence Castillo

2nd February 2024 at 01:44

Thanks in advance, or maybe thanks retroactively to Russell Lee. I haven't actually encountered whiskey barrel finished red wines, but maybe I haven't been looking in the right places? I'm going to try this with Old Elk wheated Bourbon and a smooth yet tannic and light bodied well-aged Haute Medoc.

Clarence Castillo

2nd February 2024 at 02:17

Well now we are getting somewhere! It tastes great and the layering effect in the glass is gorgeous. It's not really a "sour" cocktail though, and perhaps that's the key? Compared to a daiquiri or old-school whiskey sour, the tartness is barely noticeable, more akin to what you might encounter in a Witbeir or Saison.

1 reply

Michael Zanfardino

4th August 2023 at 21:21

Super refreshing Sour. The wine float gives the drink an unexpected apple note - very tasty. Good late summer/early fall vibes.

Matija Prelec

8th June 2023 at 11:00

This drink is one of my favourites, but made with tawny port. That adds such a layer of flavour and complexity, I cannot recommend it enough.

Clarence Castillo

20th April 2023 at 04:45

I'm intrigued by the New York Sour but I've never made or been served a great one. I assume it succeeds or fails on the compatibility of the Bourbon and "Claret red wine." Could we clarify in more modern language what red wine would work well in this cocktail? A California Cabernet? A South Australian Shiraz? And what about substituting Rye for Bourbon. Rye seems more "New York."

Simon Sedgley

17th May at 01:43

Well, "Claret wine (Bordeaux red)" would translate most closely downunder to a Coonawarra or Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. A Loire Valley Cabernet Franc (a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon) would, we think, be worth a try also.

1 reply

Russell Lee

11th November 2023 at 09:25

When I made this a few weeks ago, I used Canadian Club 12 year as my base (fairly mellow, medium rye spice in a mixed mashbill), which paired nicely with Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Shiraz (Australian, and finished in whiskey barrels). It was definitely a full-bodied drink as a whole - the shiraz adding deep plum fruit and chocolate notes - I quite liked it. Whiskey-barrel-finished reds are pretty commonplace (but not all are equal) among many brands and varietals, but definitely experiment! My choices may not scream “New York” but if this drink is Chicagoan in actual origin anyways - well, whatever tastes great!

Sofiya Andryunicheva

16th February 2023 at 18:59

This cocktail looks and tastes great! However, just like I do with whiskey sour, I recommend switching to Demerara sirup. It provides a certain richness simple sirup just doesn't have.