New York Sour Cocktail

With its striking two-toned appearance, the New York sour cocktail seems like it was made for the age of social media. In fact, it dates back to the 1880s. A boozy, wine-laced take on a whiskey sour, this cocktail is fall-ready with a floater of Malbec.

Like many oddly named cocktails, the New York sour is a misnomer. The drink originated almost 800 miles away in Chicago. So how did it get this mismatched name? 

Rumor has it that the cocktail became popular in NYC bars and they settled on the name there after going through titles like the “continental sour” and “claret snap.” But those stories are unconfirmed, so let’s file this cocktail’s name origin story into the unknown folder.

What Makes It Special? Red Wine

A New York sour’s taste is not unlike a standard whiskey sour, with a sweet lemony whiskey base, with one big exception: the addition of wine gives the drink an unexpected pop of berry flavor. 

As the cocktail’s base is already sweet from the addition of simple syrup, I’d stick to a dry red wine. I use a Malbec, though a claret—a British term for Bordeaux red wines—is traditional. Other options include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Best Type of Whiskey

While a whiskey sour can be made from any type of whiskey, go for rye here. The spicy nature complements the rich wine. It also doesn’t get lost among the other ingredients as some softer whiskies could. Old Overholt is my go-to rye for mixing cocktails, but if that’s not available to you, try Redemption Rye or Whistle Pig.

Adding an Egg White (and Alternatives)

If you’re familiar with whiskey sours, including an egg white is an option here too. The addition of an egg white is not true to the original recipe, but it’s an ingredient that has found its way into favor for quite some time now. 

The argument for the addition of egg white to a drink like this is two-fold: it creates a pleasant mouthfeel and it helps meld the ingredients together while toning down any sharpness from the harsh whiskey and tart lemon.

If you’re vegan or just don’t want an egg white in your drink, you can substitute aquafaba for the egg white (use an ounce in place of the white). You can forgo it altogether, too.

How to Create Pretty Layers

If creating the beautiful layers in this drink makes you nervous, never fear. Even if your float goes a little wonky, it’s not going to change the way the drink tastes. 

A tip: the easiest way to get the wine to float its way across the top of the drink is to slowly pour it over the back of a spoon that is just barely touching the top of the drink. You can even move the spoon a bit as you pour to make sure the wine distributes evenly. 

More Sours for Sipping

• Pisco Sour
• Whiskey Sour Cocktail
• Trinidad Sour
• Amaretto Sour