The Best Type Of Whiskey For Whiskey Sours

Whiskey sour is one of the all time classic cocktails, and the sheer amount of press surrounding it is just a testament to its popularity. Everything from the correct way to garnish a whiskey sour to whether or not whiskey sour mix is actually worth the buy is covered, but when it comes to the actual whiskey itself, things get a little hazy. The type of whiskey you choose is vital, since that's the largest ingredient proportionally in a whiskey sour. But even among experts, a sure consensus is hard to reach.

Chowhound asked around to see if there's an agreed-upon whiskey to use in a whiskey sour, and two choices emerged as the favorites: bourbon and rye. Some, like Granor Farm's Beverage Director Anna Rafalski, love the kick provided by rye, saying that "its spiciness really stands up to the sweet and sour notes in the cocktail." Others, like Seungcheol Baek of Jeong Yuk Jeom Korean BBQ and chef Derek Piva of Tu Tu' Tun Lodge, opt for bourbon, with Baek saying that "bourbon's smooth caramel and vanilla notes balance the fresh lemon's brightness beautifully." And for the indecisive or experimental ones out there, you could do a split base of both — that's what KEI NYC's Head Bartender Jun recommends. Bourbon and rye are very distinct whiskeys, so having a bottle of each for some unique whiskey sours isn't a bad approach at all.

Between rye and bourbon, either will give you an exceptional whiskey sour provided you choose a decent bottle. So to find out which one you should use, it might be best to consult your own palate and see whether the spice of rye or the sweet smoothness of bourbon is more to your liking. Now, some bartenders defer to bourbon if a choice isn't specified as it seems to be the more popular option. Take Derek Piva, for example, who says that "[bourbon's] natural caramel and vanilla notes round out the cocktail's tartness beautifully, creating a balanced, approachable drink. Rye can work if you want more spice and bite, but bourbon tends to be the crowd-pleaser."

So really it just comes down to your own preferences. If you want a standard 40% to 50% ABV whiskey that's going to stand up a little more to the cocktail's other flavors, then rye might be best for you. However, if you're looking for a sweeter-tasting cocktail that's easy to sip and has more of a caramel/toffee note, bourbon will work better. As Jun of KEI NYC put it when explaining his split base, "Bourbon gives you those nice, rounded notes of caramel, toffee, and vanilla. While Rye adds nice structures and spice to the drink." One, the other, or both — you've got three options that'll give you tasty but distinct whiskey sours with no other change to the formula.

Whiskey is, of course, a huge component of a good whiskey sour, but that wasn't all that our four experts touched on when asked how to make the best version possible. There are a few practices to implement and mistakes to avoid to make sure that your whiskey selection isn't wasted on a banal cocktail. Take the egg white, for example. Each of the four experts consulted by Chowhound had different rationales for their whiskey choices, but they all agreed on how to handle the egg white in your whiskey sour: a dry shake (i.e. without ice) for 10 to 15 seconds before shaking normally with ice. This will give you a luscious foamy head on your cocktail, but it isn't the only thing to bear in mind.

We know it's easy, but please do what you can to avoid bottled lemon juice in favor of the fresh stuff — it turns out that lemon juice is way more important in a whiskey sour than you think. "Fresh lemon juice is a must," says Seungcheol Baek. "We never use bottled, because the flavor difference is night and day." Derek Piva agrees, stating "using bottled lemon juice instead of fresh will flatten the flavor." Meanwhile, Anna Rafalski has a clever way to help offset those smelly egg whites: orange bitters. "A drop or two of orange bitters makes a huge difference — it adds to the flavor of the cocktail and masks the egg white smell," she states. These small tips and your preferred whiskey can give you the whiskey sour of your dreams.