A Sweet Drink & Some Sour Weather

Delicious whiskey sour with conifer simple syrup, egg white, bitters and maraschino cherryLet's cut right to the chase: the weather in Orlando this weak has been truly dismal. The rain has been pouring down, and even when it stops it doesn't really stop, it just turns into a pathetic drizzle. It's the kind of weather that sends you directly into your pajamas and on to your couch right after work. Perhaps you think, "I am just sitting here watching Netflix, maybe I could fold some laundry!" But no, no you can't. It's all just too much.

If you are able to harness even a modicum, just one small iota of energy to accomplish one task, you should make this drink.

"Rye Won't It Stop Raining?" Whiskey Sour

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1.5 oz Rye Whiskey (we used Woodford, mmmm...).
.5 oz Cynar
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Pine Syrup (you can substitute regular simple syrup)
1 Egg White
Angostura Bitters
Cherry Garnish

 

First of all, don't let the egg white scare you – it's pretty easy to manage, and will add a rich, foamy quality to your whiskey sour that you won't want to miss out on.

 

Scrounge yourself up a coupe glass. What's that? You don't own a coupe glass? Pick one up at Goodwill for a dollar, you'll be glad you did. Now that you're back from the thrift store with your new cocktail glass, give it a thorough washing, fill it with some ice and water and chill that baby way down by letting it sit while you mix up your drink.

 

In a cocktail shaker, combine your rye whiskey, cyan, lemon juice, pine syrup (more on this in a moment) and egg white. You can separate the egg white from the yolk using an egg separator or the egg shell itself, simply by gently transferring the yolk back and forth between the halves of the shell, being careful not to damage the yolk. The white should slide right out of the shell and into your cocktail shaker (do this over the shaker to avoid a slimy kitchen disaster).

 

With the rye whiskey, cyan, lemon juice, pine syrup and egg white in your cocktail shaker, seal it with the lid and give these ingredients a vigorous dry shake (without ice). This will agitate the egg white and cause it to foam up, which is what we're after here, folks. A good 30 seconds or so ought to do it. After your dry shake, uncap your cocktail shaker, add ice until about 2/3 full, re-seal and shake vigorously with ice for a good 10-15 seconds. You don't need a stopwatch, just feel it out.

 

Remember your chillin' coupe glass? Dump out the ice and water and add your cherry to the glass (toothpick or no toothpick...it's your call!). Strain the drink mixture into your chilled glass, making sure to get some of that good egg white foam on the top. Once the drink is poured, go ahead and (carefully) add a few drops of bitters to your foam. Not only will this add depth to your cocktail, but it will enhance the aroma as you sip it.

 

Some notes: you don't need to use pine syrup, but we mixed up a batch of this recently from the remains of our beloved Christmas tree (RIP), and we found that the crisp, pine flavor lent the cocktail some extra oomph when combined with the sweet bitterness of the artichoke-based Cynar. If you don't have any Christmas tree remains lying around, you can use classic simple syrup.
Between the light pepperiness of the Woodford Rye, the herbal complexity of the Cynar, the crisp sweetness of the pine syrup and the rich, foamy egg white, this spin on the classic whiskey sour has a little something for everyone. Plus, who doesn't love eating a cherry, especially those super-special Luxardo cherries? I don't know if I want to know the person who doesn't.

 

Mouthwatering photo credit props to Garrett Jurss Photography.

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