Gin Sour
Gin, lemon and sugar, shaken — with egg white if you like. The plain gin sour is the template every fancier gin drink was cut from, and it is still excellent on its own.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe or sour glass.
Add the gin, lemon juice and syrup (and egg white, if using — dry shake first for 10 seconds) to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled glass and garnish with a lemon wheel, or a few drops of bitters on the foam.
A thoughtful finish
- The 2 : ¾ : ¾ ratio is the modern standard; the nineteenth-century drink was sweeter. Move the syrup down to half an ounce for a sharper drink.
- Egg white gives the silky texture bars serve; without it the drink is thinner and cleaner. Both are correct.
- A juniper-forward gin makes the classic drink. A citrus-led gin makes a softer one that is closer to lemonade.
Common mistakes
- Sour mix. It is the single worst thing you can do to a sour.
- Shaking the egg white with ice only. Dry shake first, or there is no foam.
- Serving it on the rocks without adjusting. Up is the classic; over ice, cut the syrup a little.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Gin Sour and a Gimlet?
Citrus. A Gimlet is gin, lime and sugar; a Gin Sour is gin, lemon and sugar. The template is identical.
Should it have egg white?
Optional. The egg-white version, sometimes called a Silver Gin Sour, is richer and foamy; the plain version is older and sharper.
Can I use honey or maple?
Yes — honey makes it a Bee's Knees; maple makes something pleasant and autumnal. The sugar is the swappable part.
What about a splash of soda?
Then it is a Gin Fizz, served short with no ice, and a very good drink.
Variations
- Gin Fizz — The sour topped with soda.
- Tom Collins — The sour long, over ice, with soda.
- Bee's Knees — Honey in place of sugar.
- Clover Club — Add raspberry and egg white.
Where it comes from
1862 · United States · Jerry Thomas (first printed)
The sour — spirit, citrus, sugar — is one of the oldest cocktail families, descended from punch, and Jerry Thomas’s 1862 guide prints sours on brandy, gin and whiskey. The Gin Sour was a staple of the nineteenth-century American bar and the parent of the Gin Fizz (add soda), the Tom Collins (add soda and ice), the Clover Club (add raspberry and egg), the White Lady (swap sugar for orange liqueur) and the Bee’s Knees (swap sugar for honey). The egg white became common in the early twentieth century, and the Silver Gin Sour is now the version most bars pour.
Sources
- Jerry Thomas, How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion, 1862 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 15.6% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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