Celebrate Whiskey Sour Day

August 25 is National Whiskey Sour Day.

The Whiskey Sour makes its first print appearance in an 1862 book called The Bartender’s Guide, but as that was a collection of recipes, it likely is much older.

In fact, a whole class of “sours” is reported to have begun with the British Navy in the early 1800s. In an effort to ward off scurvy, the navy added lemon and lime juice to the sailor’s daily rum rations. That gave birth to both the pejorative “limeys” and the citrus drink.

The Whiskey Sour is one of the most basic cocktails, along with the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan.

A basic whiskey sour recipe calls for

1 1/2 ounces of whiskey
1tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1 orange slice
1 maraschino cherry

Using a bourbon will make the whiskey sour a little sweeter. Making a whiskey sour with rye will add a little spice.

Some recipes call for simple syrup instead of the sugar. Here’s a variant:

Adding egg white to a whiskey sour is optional, and turns it into a “Boston Sour.” To do this, add egg white to the shaker. Once your pour it out, the drink is quite frothy.

Another variant is to use a Scotch instead of bourbon or rye. That, naturally, is known as a Scotch Sour.

A New York Sour is a whiskey sour with a layer of red wine at the top. That takes a bit of practice.

As a side note, a margarita is also a “sour,” consisting of lime and tequila. So too is a mojito (rum, lime and mint).

Other sours: Daiquiri (rum and lime), Gin Sour (gin and lemon), the Sidecar (cognac, orange liqueur and lemon), Kamikaze (vodka, triple sec and lime), Pisco Sour (pisco brandy and lime) and Amaretto Sour (Amaretto and lemon).