I thought I was setting myself up for disappointment with this drink but then, I thought it’s got bourbon in it how bad can it be?  So, I adventured on and pulled out the cocktail shaker.

A little bit about the New York Sour (which I highly recommend, by the way).  According to Whiskey Tango Globetrot, www.whiskeytangoglobtrot.com. The New York Sour dates back to at least the mid-1800s.

The original recipe called for:

1 table-spoon (1 tsp) of sugar
¼ of  lemon (juice of)
½ a wine glass (1 tbsp) of water
1 wine glass (2 oz.) of spirits

The standard spirit then was brandy, rum, gin or whiskey, though whiskey was added on much later.  Somehow the sour cocktail became America’s cocktail. The sour cocktail was actually originated in Chicago and was called a Continental Sour or Southern Whiskey Sour with a claret snap.The snap was red wine that floated on top of the drink.

No one really knows how a drink originating and popularized in Chicago inherited the name New York Sour or how it stuck.  It’s got a cool, sophisticated look and it is refreshing although I got a little carried away with the rocks. And you can try it, but the egg white was a hard pass for me. The cool part was floating the wine on top.  I thought I was going to ruin it and create a disaster. Turns out I’m a pro!

There are a number of variations of course, but this is the one I thought I would like best and it comes from liquor.com

Here is the modern day recipe:

2 oz. Rye whiskey or bourbon
1 oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
1 egg white (optional)
½ oz. dry red wine

Add all ingredients except the wine into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until the shaker is cold.  Strain into a rocks glass over a few cubes of fresh ice.

Slowly pour the wine over the back of a bar spoon so that it floats on top of the drink.

Sip slow and enjoy!