Skip to content
Spirlix
Log in Sign up
All cocktails Scotch Sour

Log in to see whether your bar can pour this

Scotch Sour

Aperitivo/aperitif · Citrusy · Classic/vintage

4.5 235 ratings

Ingredients

2 oz Scotch whisky
1 oz Lemon juice
2/3 oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2:1)
1/2 oz Egg white (pasteurised)
6 drop Boker's style bitters
2 drop Saline solution 4:1

How to make

Serve in a old-fashioned glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lemon and orange zest twists.

Method

  1. 3 SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain back into shaker.
  2. 4 DRY SHAKE (without ice) to emulsify.
  3. 5 FINE STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Garnish

  1. 6 Express lemon and orange zest twists over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour profile

14.1% alc./vol. · 1.4 standard drinks · 211 calories

History

This cocktail is often overshadowed by the Whiskey Sour, a popular bourbon-based drink. In David A. Embury's 1948 book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, he notes, "Two dashes of Angostura to each drink constitute a pleasing addition to this drink. Lime juice may be used in place of lemon, but, to most tastes, lemon combines more pleasingly with whisky than does lime. Scotch or Irish may be used in place of rye or bourbon, but the smoky taste of Scotch does not combine pleasingly with citrus juices." While Angostura is suggested by Embury, the necessity of bitters in a Scotch Sour can depend on the whisky's peatiness. Embury's assertion that smoky Scotch does not pair well with citrus is a point of contention, particularly when considering The Penicillin Cocktail as evidence. For this drink, Boker's Bitters, with its distinct liquorice notes, is preferred over Angostura Aromatic Bitters.