Whiskey Sour

The making of a whiskey sour and sour drinks in general is an art form that distinguishes amateur bartenders, who like to toss an occasional cocktail party in the den, from professionally trained bartenders. For that reason, the whiskey companies that wanted to promote this popular classic cocktail had to come up with a ready-mix product that would aid the home bartender in preparing sour drinks. The whiskey sour traditionally calls for fresh lemon juice and a sweetener, and the balance between sweet and sour is critical and difficult to achieve. Fresh lemon juice is so concentrated that adding too much produces an overly sour, undrinkable cocktail. The downside of the premade sour mixes is flavor; unfortunately, the flavor of fresh fruit cannot be re-created with modern chemistry.