Not only is the New York Sour cocktail stunning, but the combination of flavors and the silky texture makes this one hell of a winner! This New York Sour recipe consists of a classic whiskey sour base finished with a red wine float.
Why I Love this New York Sour Recipe
I first came to know the New York Sour when I was a waitress—knowing very little about whiskey then, I recommended it purely for it’s visual appeal. I now have many more reasons for why you should try this glorious cocktail!
The New York Sour is the ideal cocktail. It's tart, slightly sweet, and perfectly warming.
What is a New York Sour?
On its most basic level, the New York Sour is basically a whiskey sour with a float of red wine to finish. A splash of dry red wine balances the slightly sweet whiskey sour base and adds depth of flavor.
What goes into a New York Sour?
- Whiskey
- Fresh lemon juice
- Pure maple syrup (or simple syrup)
- Egg white (fresh or pasteurized from a jug if you prefer)
- Red wine
How to Make this Recipe
The whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white get dry shaken (without ice). Ice is added and the cocktail is shaken to chill then poured over ice into a rocks glass.
A splash of dry red wine is then gently poured over top to create three stunning layers and one killer cocktail.
What kind of whiskey to use
Rule number one, use a whiskey you like! But if you need a bit of guidance, I recommend using rye whiskey, though bourbon is also great.
What kind of red wine to use
Like I said with the whiskey—use a wine you like and would drink on its own.
However, since the cocktail features a bit of simple syrup or maple syrup, I recommend using a dry red wine. Some sources recommend a fruity red wine, but between the lemon and the simple syrup, I find a dry red wine does a better job of balancing the cocktail's flavors.
Shiraz, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Zinfandel will work great here.
Is adding an egg white safe?
Many bars will use fresh egg white, but for ease of use and for food safety reasons, I recommend using pasteurized egg whites. You can find them sold in cartons right next to the fresh eggs.
More whiskey cocktails to love…
- Blood Orange Boston Sour
- Fig Infused Bourbon
- Classic Bourbon Smash
- Apple Bourbon Smash
- Continental Sour (the cousin of the NY Sour)
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Did you make this New York Whiskey Sour? Let me know how it went—leave a comment and star-rating below. And if you snapped a pic, share it on IG and tag me @zestfulkitchen. I love seeing what you make!
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The Best New York Sour Cocktail
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: no-cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
The New York Sour achieves the perfect balance of flavors—sweet, tart, warm, and slightly dry. Stunning and classic!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 ounce egg white, optional
- ¾ ounce pure maple syrup or simple syrup
- ½ ounce dry red wine
Instructions
Add whiskey, lemon juice, egg white and syrup in a cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice) for 20 seconds. Add a few cubes of fresh ice and shake 30 seconds until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
Slowly pour wine over the back of a bar spoon so that the wine floats on top of the drink.
Notes
Egg white: for ease and food safety reasons, use pasteurized egg whites. You can find them sold next to the eggs in a carton.
Keywords: new york sour, whiskey sour, whiskey cocktail, red wine cocktail
This recipe and article were originally published on October 15, 2020.
Absolutely loved this sour whiskey recipe, it's great to play with the flavors of your cocktail and try something different. Thank you for sharing this, definitely one of the best sour whiskey recipes I have found on the internet.
★★★★★
Hi Tommy! I am so glad you enjoyed it! It's one of my favorites as well! 🙂
Ok I did a Jack Daniel's with naturql maple syrup, real lemon juice and I used Stella Red wine which has alittle fiz to it. Very good. Stuff I had around. Did not look anything like your picture
★★★★
Hi Leslie, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! Not sure why it didn't look the same—the red wine float on top can be finicky! The fizz of the red wine could have impacted it from creating a layer.