(Image from http://blog.fashionandyou.com/easy-cocktail-recipes/)
The whiskey sour. I've had only three in my life, but I'm pretty sure they're going to stay near the top of my mental Favorite Cocktails list. I love the combination of sweet, sour, and that kicky whiskey bite. Sadly, most bars use sour mix, which is mostly high-fructose corn syrup, and for people throwing parties, picking up the mixer bottle from the supermarket is much easier than trying to juice that many lemons. But my goodness are you missing out by not making whiskey sours from scratch. The good news, however, is that they're really easy with a little preparation.
Whiskey Sour
1 1/2 oz. bourbon whiskey
1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice*
1/2 oz. simple syrup**
1 maraschino cherry
Use a jigger to measure ingredients into a shaker and pour over ice in a rocks glass, or simply measure right into the glass and stir. Garnish with the cherry.
*By squeezing two lemons by hand, I got about 4 oz. of juice. So figure about half a lemon per drink. You may get more juice by using a juicer. Take shavings of the lemon peel for additional garnish if you like.
**To make simple syrup, simple combine 1 part water to 1 part sugar in a saucepan and heat on low, swirling occasionally, until sugar is melted. Put aside to cool and then transfer to a pourable container. I poured it into a labeled squeeze bottle, and it worked great. I've made great simple syrups with both plain granulated sugar and raw cane sugar.
