Sour Cocktail

By John, 12 November, 2013
Description

Sours are one of the late 19th century foundational cocktails from which hundreds of others have been developed. The basic form of a sour is a spirit combined with sugar or sweet liqueur and a citrus juice instead of the bitters employed in the Basic Cocktail. 

The basic sours are named simply for their base spirit: whiskey sour, gin sour, rum sour, et cetera. From this sturdy base, great heights of sophistication are possible. It's important to master the foundation first. 

Yield
1 Servings
Preparation time
5 minutes
Ingredients
2 oz Spirit
1⁄2 t Sugar (or simple syrup)
1⁄2 Lemon (juice of)
Instructions
Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a sour glass.
Notes
The Sour Cocktail is almost identical to these old-fashioned and almost forgotten offspring: To make a Sling Cocktail, serve the sour on the rocks and add a lemon twist. To make a Daisy Cocktail, add a teaspoon of grenadine and serve with an ice cube in a little mug garnished with fruit. To make a Collins, add soda and serve in a tall glass garnished with fruit. Tom Collins is made with gin, John Collins with whiskey.