The sour; mother of many cocktails, simple to mix and easy to drink. This cocktail is a true crowd pleaser and my take on it is one of Kathy’s favourites. A basic sour is no more than three ingredients: spirit, sour and sweet but many variations exist like the New York sour with a few bar spoons of red wine floating on top or the more well known Amaretto sour, sidecar, margarita and daiquiri. I’m a huge fan of bourbon, usually with several on hand. So, for me the quintessential sour is a bourbon sour but feel free to use your favourite whiskey, rye or heaven forbid that bottle of 18 year scotch in the coveted section of your bar.

Simple to mix and easy to drink.

The sour is a shaken drink and many like to include an egg white in the mix to add a velvety texture to the drink. I throw in two other ingredients to my bourbon sour, maraschino liqueur as well as a few dashes of cherry bitters, both of which can be easily omitted as can the egg white. Behold the Bourbon Cherry Sour. When using egg whites in cocktails it is important to first dry shake the drink (omitting the ice) in order to emulsify the egg. Emulsions happen much faster when ingredients are at a warmer temperature. Some bartenders will even add the spring from a hawthorn strainer to expedite the process. 

Here is what you will need: Bourbon, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, a lemon or freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, cherry bitters, a maraschino cherry, a cocktail shaker, a jigger or other bar measurer. Grab what you need and let’s get going. Cheers.

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Ok here we go I am finally giving in and writing a guest post for Eathalifax. As the resident beverage director, most things drink related in our home are my responsibility. Not a bad tradeoff considering Kathy is a much better cook than I, and that I am OBSESSED with all things coffee (my kitchen counter can attest to this). But this post isn’t at all about coffee, it’s about a new obsession Cocktails! And what better place to start than with a staple here at the home bar, The Negroni.

It’s generally agreed upon that the negroni came to be some time around 1920 in Florence Italy, when count Cammillo Negroni walked into Café Casoni and ordered an Americano with gin instead of soda from the bartender Fosco Scarselli. It is a simple yet delicious classic, consisting of equal parts gin, campari and sweet vermouth. Many variations exist; namely the Boulevardier, which utilizes bourbon instead of gin and the negroni Sbagliato with prosecco replacing gin. One can also swap vodka for gin, cynar or aperol for campari, you get the point if you are lacking an ingredient you can sub in something you may even prefer. So be creative and enjoy, Cheers.

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