The Mai Tai, for example, often associated with Hawaii, was actually invented in California.įast-forward more than a century to present-day and the cocktail recipe for a New York sour has changed little. This isn’t the first time that a drink associated with a certain destination was invented elsewhere. Since New York City has been a hotbed of cocktail culture for decades, it’s likely that the name came to be that after growing in popularity there years ago.

The fact is that cocktails throughout the ages have often undergone a variety of names until something sticks. It’s unclear how the name New York Sour stuck.

But it wasn’t mixing a whiskey sour with red wine, but rather gently pouring just a little dry red wine on top, giving the cocktail a red wine float. Chicago bartenders sometimes also described it as the “claret snap.” Claret, especially at that time, was often the name generally prescribed to red wine.

It actually seems to first have been made in Chicago, though it wasn’t called a New York Sour at that time, but rather a Continental Sour or Southern Whiskey Sour. The New York Sour, however, first makes an appearance in the late-1800s. This is the core equation of a cocktail after all. When properly made, it’s as easy, balanced, and delicious of a cocktail as you’ll find, requiring just a spirit, sweetener, and citrus. The popularity then and now, can probably largely be accredited to its simplicity and balance. It was the vodka and soda of the day(Sorry, I had to). The Atlanta Daily Constitution wrote in 1879, “When American meets American, then comes the whiskey sour. Nonetheless, it wasn’t long after the initial publication of the sour cocktail, that it became in many respects, the cocktail of America. That sound you hear is the sound of your mind being blown. So what was the cure? The addition of citrus, often with sugar and water, to the daily rum ration in order to both dilute the rum and ward of scurvy. Furthermore, the early 1700s saw scurvy that severely depleted the Royal Navy, with much more sailors dying from disease than actual war. However, as you may imagine, 100-plus-proof rum made for some inefficient sailors. Toward the beginning of the episode, when Dunn Purnsley asks what was in Alma Pastor’s glass for a top-off, Dickie simply responds, “New York Sour.” Yet it may sound familiar, especially if you were a fan of Boardwalk Empire, since that was the name of the season premiere of season four. The New York Sour probably is neither a drink you frequently see on a cocktail menu, nor one that you’ve seen ordered. Today’s cocktail tale, featuring the New York Sour, is full of history, pirates sailors, and whiskey. WHAT?! Yes, it’s happening, and it’s going to be delicious. But I know what you may be thinking, “Spencer, why are you talking about wine, when the title of the post is about cocktails?” Well Skeptical Sally, that’s because we’re making a cocktail today with wine. No, I didn’t make that up, and yes, that’s a thing. Each post, or rather, tale, will feature a different classic cocktail, where I’ll be coming to you with the 4-1-1 on its history, the traditional (or close to it) recipe for it, and a contemporary recipe for it. Welcome to “Cocktail Tales,” a new series that I’ll be doing on WTG.

New york whiskey sour recipe