The Meyer lemon whiskey sour has both an orange and lemon flavor with a slightly sweet, slightly sour taste. Meyer lemons pair wonderfully with every whiskey (or whisky) I’ve tried it with, Bourbon, rye, Irish, Japanese and Scotch whiskies. The Meyer lemon whiskey sour is similar in spirit to a cocktail named the ‘Ward 8’. Ward 8 uses a combination of lemon and orange juices in the recipe.
The greatness of using Meyer lemons in a whiskey sour recipe is the combination of lemon and orange flavors. A hybrid citrus fruit, the Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin orange. A native of China, the species was brought to the USA in 1908 by an employee of the USDA named Frank Meyer, thus the name Meyer lemon.
The Meyer lemon is less acidic than other varieties of lemon, making it great in cocktails. For this whiskey sour, I use less sugar than you would in a traditional whiskey sour recipe. Although, that being said, some Meyer lemons are sweeter than others. Taste a sample of the lemon and adjust the sweetness of the whiskey sour mix to fit the fruit. I find that on average, the ½-ounce of simple syrup I use in this whiskey sour recipe is perfect.
With only 170-calories, this is a great low-calorie whiskey sour!
The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists the official whiskey sour recipe as follows:
- 4.5cl (3 parts) Bourbon whiskey
- 3cl (2 parts) fresh lemon juice
- 1.5cl (1 part) simple syrup
Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour Ingredients
- Whiskey: I have tried this recipe with everything from Japanese whisky, to Scotch and all points in between. My personal preference in a whiskey sour is Bourbon, the combo of the smokiness and citrus is awesome. Nothing too expensive but not too cheap either. Nothing good ever came from cheap booze.
- Meyer Lemons: The juice from half a lemon is the perfect amount in this whiskey sour recipe. Taste a little of the Meyer lemon alone to get an idea of how sweet it is. If very sour, you may need to add a little extra simple syrup.
- Simple Syrup: Like the name suggests, a simple syrup of 50/50 granulated sugar and water.
- Optional Egg White: Many whiskey sour recipes use an egg white to create foam on top. Think lemon meringue pie. I don’t typically use egg whites in cocktails, but feel free to add this as an option for your this whiskey sour recipe. If you do, I would increase the sugar content to ¾-ounce and 1-egg white per 2-whiskey sours.
- Garnish: I garnish this whiskey sour with slices of Meyer lemon. Traditionally, a whiskey sour would also have a maraschino cherry as a garnish.
Here is my recipe for the Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour
Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces Bourbon Whiskey Or whiskey of your choosing
- 1/2 Ounce Simple Syrup
- 1/2 Meyer Lemon Juice only
Garnish
- 3 Slices Meyer Lemon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. SHake 5-60 times until ice cold. Serve in a tumbler on the rocks garnished with 3-slices of Meyer lemon.
Nutrition
Garnish the whiskey sour with 3-slices of lemon to help reinforce the beautiful color of this cocktail.
