This Cherry Whiskey Sour features tart summer cherries in a fresh take on a classic cocktail. With a smooth egg white foam and homemade cherry syrup, it's bold, refreshing, and just the right amount of fancy.
It's summer and as usual, I just picked a ridiculous amount of tart cherries at a local orchard. I'm talking twenty-four pounds of ridiculousness. Luckily, we have a chest freezer, and I love cherry jam.
If you have the chance, take advantage of the summer and pick some fruit of your own. Whether you plant a fruit tree or bush in your yard or visit an orchard, there are so many fruits to enjoy. We added strawberries to our garden this year, and I swear I've never had better berries. Don't tell the vegetables, but there's something more rewarding about growing and/or picking fresh fruit.
Anyway, one of my favorite parts of a whiskey sour has always been the cherry. But cherries are so good that I wondered how to incorporate them into the cocktail, rather than use them as a garnish. This is the result.
🍸 Why You'll Love This Cocktail
- It's fresh and fruit-forward.
- It's smooth, creamy, and easy to sip.
- It's refreshing and perfect for summer.
I'm a fan of all things cherry. Whether it's Brownies with Cherry Pie Filling, Cherry Rhubarb Pie, Cherry Tiramisu, or Cherry Apple Crisp. If I can put cherries in it, I will. The same goes for blackcurrants. They're two of my favorite summer fruits.
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🍒 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make a cherry whiskey sour.
- Bourbon: Bourbon whiskey serves as the base for a whiskey sour. Use whatever variety you prefer, as I'm no whiskey connoisseur. I tend to go with a mid-shelf option.
- Cherries: Fresh or frozen cherries can be used to make the cherry syrup. I always use tart cherries, but sweet cherries are just fine. Approximately half a cup of cherries yields 4-5 ounces of cherry syrup, which is about enough for four drinks.
- Limes: Although lemon is the classic citrus for a whiskey sour, I happened to have several limes in the fridge, and I do enjoy a cherry and lime combo.
- Sugar: A small amount of granulated sugar is needed to make the cherry syrup.
- Egg white: Shaking one large egg white with the other ingredients creates a beautifully foamy top to the cocktail.
- Bitters: What's a cocktail without a couple of dashes of bitters? I'm not particular about the kind here.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions & Variations
- Without egg white: If you're not into a raw egg white in your drink, I get it. Use 1 ounce of the liquid from a can of chickpeas, which is known as aquafaba.
- Lemon instead of lime: For a more classic whiskey sour, use lemon juice.
- With another kind of whiskey. There are plenty of other options. Here are some suggestions.
- Maple syrup instead of sugar. For a deeper, richer, better flavor, substitute an equal amount of maple syrup. It may darken the cocktail a bit, however.
- Cherry amaretto whiskey sour: Add ½ ounce of amaretto to the shaker with the other ingredients.
🧊 Instructions
- Step 1: Make the cherry syrup. Combine ½ cup of cherries with ¼ cup of sugar and ¼ cup of water in a small saucepan.
- Step 2: Heat the pot over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the cherries with a spoon.
- Step 3: Strain the cherries into a mesh sieve and press with a spoon to release all the liquid. Allow to cool.
- Step 4: Pour the bourbon into an empty cocktail shaker.
- Step 5: Add the cherry syrup.
- Step 6: And fresh lime juice.
- Step 7: Finally, add the egg white and bitters.
- Step 8: Dry shake (with no ice) for 15 seconds.
- Step 9: Then add ice and shake well for an additional 10-15 seconds, until the drink is foamy.
- Step 10: Strain the cocktail into a glass with fresh ice. Garnish with cherries and limes.
✨ Top Tips
- Don't skip the dry (without ice) shake. Shaking before adding the ice helps to emulsify the ingredients and create a foamier consistency, which is what we're going for in this cocktail. And be sure to shake vigorously to achieve a nice foam.
- If the cocktail isn't foamy after you've strained it into your glass you can put it back into the shaker with some fresh ice and shake again.
- For an extra cold cocktail, place your glass in the freezer for 10 minutes in advance.
🍳 Equipment
Strainer: A fine mesh strainer is needed to drain the cherries of their liquid and to strain the cocktail into the glass.
Cocktail shaker: A classic Boston shaker will suffice for shaking and combining this cocktail. However, in a pinch, you can use a mason jar with a lid or any shake bottle.
🫙Storage
The cherry syrup will last up to two weeks, stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
🙋🏻♂️ FAQ
Cherries are a classic garnish for a whiskey sour. However, in this recipe, I made them part of the cocktail rather than just the garnish.
Making a whiskey sour at home is easy. Simply shake the cocktail ingredients together in a shaker. You want to first do a dry skae (without ice), then a shake with ice in order to create a nice layer of foam.
You can substitute 1-ounce of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) in place of an egg white for one cocktail.
Yes. You want to use a large cube or fill the glass halfway with fresh crushed ice. Don't use the same ice you used to shake the cocktail because it will be too melted.
Absolutely. The flavor is slightly different but lime juice still offers the tart citrus flavor that complements the sweetness of the other ingredients.
🥗 Pairing
These recipes would go well with this cherry cocktail.
📖 Recipe
Cherry Whiskey Sour
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
Description
This Cherry Whiskey Sour features tart summer cherries in a fresh take on a classic cocktail. With a smooth egg white foam and homemade cherry syrup, it's bold, refreshing, and just the right amount of fancy.
Ingredients
for the cherry syrup
- ½ cup cherries, pitted
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
for the cocktail
- 2 ounces bourbon whiskey
- ½ ounce fresh lime juice
- ¾ ounce cherry syrup
- 1 egg white
- 2-3 dashes bitters
Instructions
- Make the cherry syrup. Add the pitted cherries to a small saucepan with the water and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the cherries with a spoon as they cook.
- Strain the cherries through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing as much liquid out of them as possible. Discard (or eat) the cherry solids and pour the syrup into a jar to cool until you're ready to make the cocktail. You should have enough syrup for 4 to 5 cocktails. You can make this up to two weeks in advance.
- Make the cocktail. Add the bourbon whiskey, lime juice, cherry syrup, egg white, and bitters to a shaker. Put the top on without adding ice, and shake well for about 15 seconds. Then, add a large scoop of ice to the shaker and shake again for another 10-15 seconds.
- Serve. Strain the cocktail into a glass with fresh ice. Garnish with lime wedges and fresh cherries.
Notes
Don't skip the dry (without ice) shake. Shaking before adding the ice helps to emulsify the ingredients and create a foamier consistency, which is what we're going for in this cocktail. And be sure to shake vigorously to achieve a nice foam.
If the cocktail isn't foamy after you've strained it into your glass, you can return it to the shaker with fresh ice and shake again.
For an extra cold cocktail, place your glass in the freezer for 10 minutes in advance.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Shaking
- Cuisine: American
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