Bourbon Sour Cocktail

Two classes with golden cocktails with lemon twists and maraschino cherries - square

This bourbon sour cocktail recipe is a delightful blend of sweet, tart, and refreshing flavors. Garnish this classic drink with a cherry and a lemon twist for the perfect sipper!

Course Cocktails

Cuisine Cocktails

Keyword bourbon sour, bourbon sour cocktail

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings cocktails

Calories 271kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

4 ounces bourbon
2 ounce Cointreau
2 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup (try it with 1 ounce and if it is too sour for you, add more in .50 increments)
4 lemon rind twists (use a pairing knife to cut them - see notes)
2 maraschino cherries (wash the syrup off the cherries as it will add sweetness)

Instructions

Fill cocktail shaker 1/2 way with ice.
Add bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice and simple syrup
4 ounces bourbon, 2 ounce Cointreau, 2 ounce lemon juice, 1 ounce simple syrup
Cap shaker and shake for 10 to 15 seconds
Add fresh ice to the glasses, strain and divide the liquid between the two glasses. Add the ice from the shaker.
Place 2 lemon twists and 1 cherry to each glass
4 lemon rind twists, 2 maraschino cherries
Sip
Smile
Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips

I'm a big fan of sour cocktails (I don't like overly sweet ones), so I mix with less simple syrup than the average person. I feel that our palates have been altered by the amount of sugars added to just about everything. But, you can restore your palate by lessening the sugars you add at home and cultivating your taste for sour flavors.
I urge you to try the recipe first as it's written, because while you can add more sweetener, you can't take it away.
My recommended sweet-to-sour ratio is 1:2 (so, twice as much sour mix or citrus juice as simple syrup).
You can buy simple syrup in the grocery store or the liquor store but it is so easy to make that you can save money by making your own.
Here's how: in a medium saucepan, add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water (so equal parts.) Turn the heat on under the pan to medium heat and bring to a slight boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves, lower to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and cool completely before using it in a cocktail.
Since you are going to cut lemon twists and juice lemon, you need to wash it/them well before doing so. It's especially important to wash before making twists because you are going to place the twists in the cocktails and you don't want to be drinking pesticides.
What I do to wash citrus: I squirt unscented, natural, foaming soap in my hand and rub the fruit with my hands. I then take a vegetable brush and brush the skin. Lastly, I rinse the fruit under cold water until all the soap has been removed.
I like making big lemon twists. I use a paring knife to cut them. Make two twists per cocktail.
Some people put egg white in their whiskey or bourbon sour, but I don't like to. The only thing it does is make it creamier and foamy, but I like it just the way it is.

Nutrition