Happy National Whiskey Sour Day. The drink has a bad rap because it is often made with sour mix. That can all be fixed with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. You can also make it more classic by adding an egg white….WAIT…come back. Adding raw eggs is safe and cases of salmonella in this day in age are very rare. If you are scared, wash the outside of the egg shell with soap and water (gently). Salmonella would live on the outside of the shell and you only introduce it when the egg is cracked. The frothiness and mouthfeel that an egg white adds to the drink is delicious and worth the addition to the cocktail.

Like all good classic cocktails, the history is murky. It appears to have been invented sometime in the 1870s. References in the US and Peru are both noted in the decade.

You can make a variation on the drink by floating some red wine on top to make a New York Sour.

Recipe for a Proper Whiskey Sour:

• 2 oz good Whiskey (often bourbon but I used Cask & Crew Rye)
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup (I used gomme syrup for a fun spin)
• 1 egg white
• Dry shake everything in a shaker. A dry shake is without ice and optionally can include the spring from a Hawthrone strainer. This increases the air whipped into the egg white and makes for a better drink. Remove the spring, add ice and shake again. Strain this into a coupe glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry. I can also add an orange slice too.