Elevated New York Sour Recipe

This post will show you how to make a New York Sour with a fun twist! 

Let’s round up this winter season with one more fun bourbon cocktail! A New York Sour is basically a whiskey sour on the rocks with a float of red wine on top. I was inspired to make a mixture of the New York sour and the Sazerac. Using a blend of both cocktails I have come up with this delicious elevated version!

This is an original Sweet Recipe of mine that highlights notes of anise, a dry herbaceous red wine, cherry, orange, and lemon!

Let’s get right into it! I call this:

“Sazzy Sour”

What You Will Need

Alcohol:

For this New York Sour recipe we will start of course with a base of bourbon! I have chosen to use Old Forester 86. This is really really mellow affordable bourbon thats great to mix cocktails with! You will get floral notes as well as notes of vanilla, orange, and tobacco. I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More!

For the float of red wine I wanted something dry, spicy, and herbaceous. I chose to go with Daou Cabernet Sauvignon. You get notes of herbs such as thyme, and deep fruit flavors such as blackberry and cassis. I find this wine to be a bit on the dry side and I thought it would go well with some of the anise flavors that will be going into this New York sour! I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More.

For the absinthe spray in this sazerac styled New York sour I have chosen to use St. George Absinthe Verte. I find this absinthe to be intensely flavorful, fragrant, and and excellent option to use. Having an absinthe for your home bar, especially for rinsing glasses is a must! It will add a little extra spark of anise flavor and elevate your cocktail. St. George’s absinthe has notes of tarragon, fennel, anise, basil, white pepper, and citrus! I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More.

Lastly, we will be using some delicious Peychaud’s Bitters in this New York Sour. This component also ties this cocktail in with a Sazerac. This delicious New Orleans bitters has notes of anise, orange, cherry, clove, and mint! Bitters are incredibly potent which is why they are only added in small dashes. A dash is all you need to taste these intensely flavorful tinctures. I highly recommend having this bitters on deck at your home bar! It is sure to add a wonderful flavor spark to all of your creations! I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More!

Citrus and Other Ingredients:

To get that perfect zing of citrus in this New York sour we will be using Fresh Lemon Juice! I always recommend using fresh citrus juice, once you start, you will never go back! In the photo above I am using my hand-pressed stainless steel citrus juicer! This thing is a life saver for my home bar and just for cooking in general. Not only is it easy to use, but it has an awesome pour spout and lots of space to fit multiple pieces of fruit! Seriously one of the coolest tools I own. If you wanna check one out just like mine you can do so RIGHT HERE!

 

Another crucial ingredient is Egg Whites! Egg whites are an awesome way to give an extra creaminess and froth to a cocktail! You don’t need to use much. I actually use egg whites straight from a carton that have already been separated for me. You can pick up egg whites at any local grocery store!

When using egg whites in a cocktail you will use a technique called Dry Shaking before you shake again with ice. Dry shaking just means shaking a cocktail vigorously without any ice in the tin. This allows proteins in the egg whites to awaken and stretch out which results in a foamy texture. After it is strained, the foam resides on the top of your cocktail giving it a layered and professional appearance.

If you are Vegan don’t fret! There are several good options as replacements. The top two would be Aquafaba or Fee Brothers Fee Foam.

Aquafaba is the liquid that chickpeas sit in. You can buy a can of chickpeas from the store, strain out the water, and there it is! This foams up your cocktail easily and actually doesn’t have any taste that I have ever picked up on. It’s a great egg white substitute.

Fee Brothers Fee Foam comes in a bottle with a dropper. This allows you to put a couple droplets into a cocktail before shaking and voila! It also will give your cocktail the same creamy and frothy result. You can check out Fee Brothers Fee Foam RIGHT HERE!

Simple Syrup is called for in this New York sour recipe! The great thing about simple syrup is that it will last in the fridge for up to a month! Just like in the name, simple syrup is extremely simple to make. We will be using a 1:1 ratio which means equal parts white sugar to hot water.

• In a pot on the stove, bring desired amount of water to a slight boil.
• Once you see bubbles start to form, add in equal parts of white sugar.
• Lower the heat a bit as you do not want the sugar to burn.
• Stir consistently until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with a syrup like consistency.
• Pull off of the heat and let cool.
• Store in a bottle of choice in the fridge.
• You did it!

I like to store my juices and syrups in glass bottles as shown in the above photo. I actually found a really cool set on Amazon that comes with bottles, labels, pour spouts and more! I will link it RIGHT HERE!

Bar Supplies:

First things first, you will need a Shaker!  I usually use a Boston shaker when building my cocktails, but recently for guests and for filming I have been using a Glass Cobbler Shaker! I love the look of this shaker and the ease of the pour. This particular cocktail has a built in strainer! When you shake a cocktail you are diluting it and building it in volume at the same time! This is a crucial step for most drink builds. If you want to check out the glass shaker that I used you can do so right HERE!

The next bar tool that you will need is a Jigger. Jiggers are what you use to measure the ingredients you are adding into your cocktail! This is a necessary tool to have for your home bar. A great cocktail is balanced, beautiful, and consistent! You can achieve all of that by actively using a jigger when you are building your drinks.

My jigger shown above ranges from 1/4th oz to 2 oz.If you want to check out one identical to mine you can do so RIGHT HERE!

I must say that when I was just a beginner in the bartending world, I used a jigger that was much more simplified. It was great and truly let me build my skills with confidence. This jigger has only one side, very clear measurement lines, and a pour spout! If you’re just beginning and want to use this jigger to learn I will link the exact one I used to use RIGHT HERE!

You will want to have some sort of Atomizer for rinsing the inside of your cocktail glass! This adds a beautiful aroma to the cocktail and also gives it a hint of extra flavor! You can find great atomizers for rinsing cocktails on Amazon, I will link one RIGHT HERE! If you don’t have an atomizer you can try to add just a bit of absinthe into your glass then swish it around so it coats the wall of the glass.

Just like in a classic New York sour you will need a red wine float! I find it much easier to get a float directly on top of the cocktail by running the liquid over the back of a Bar Spoon. A bar spoon is a must have at your home bar! This is just one fun use of MANY. You can check one out just like mine RIGHT HERE!

I also must mention that you will need ICE. Lots of people have fridges with an ice dispenser which is perfect for you to use. Alas, if you do not have accessible fridge ice, AKA ME, you will have to freeze your own! As you can see in the photo above I use a silicone perfect ice cube tray. You can find an identical one that comes with a LID right HERE! I am lucky enough to have a cocktail store near me as well that  carries perfect ice in every size but that is not always the most affordable option. I would still suggest you check if any such stores exist near your location! Although a little more pricey, definitely worth it in quality!!!

I do recommend that if you are starting to create multiple cocktails at home, you should invest in your own personal Bartending Kit. Most come with everything you will need as a beginner while others provide several items for more complex creations. I will put links to both a beginners set, and a more advanced set on Amazon below!

Beginners Kit : HERE

Advanced Kit : HERE

 

Let’s Build!