In my mind, I'm on a summer island, in a charming bar, right on the beach. The bar has pretty patio, with cute, little yellow lights that all lit up in the dark and you can hear the ocean waves crashing on the shore. I'm in my summer dress and in my hand is this fancy and quirky, sweet and tart cocktail ~ The Boston Sour!
A Boston Sour, just like a Whiskey Sour, is whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar/simple syrup, but the Boston sour has one twist to it, which is egg whites! Now a lot of you might feel grossed out by the idea of drinking raw egg whites, but I assure you, the egg whites are the reason this drink becomes so velvety and creamy, and the harsh taste of whiskey soothes down too.
The sugar from the syrup, and the egg whites when shaken together with lemon juice, produces a soft and delicate froth on top, and makes this drink ~ look pleasing and taste rich! Remember the pearly Meringues? Well, meringues are nothing but egg whites, sugar, and a tiny bit of lemon juice, beaten together for long, to produce a buttery and thick cream. Here we aren't beating them for long, but when you shake them - without the ice (a dry/hard shake), it starts getting there and a yummy froth is produced. This method of shaking is used for any cocktail that involves the use of egg whites.
So then, let's talk about shaking. This has to be done cautiously as when egg whites are shaken for long, they can make your shaker blow open. Yes, this comes from a very personal experience!! I refuse to share because that sight was not pretty. If you really want to know in one line, then it was me, in my kitchen, covered with egg whites and whiskey!!
Anyway, the reason behind this is that the egg expands so quickly when shaken it can make the lid blow off, sending egg whites everywhere. To counteract this you first give a couple of slow, dry shakes (which means shaking without ice!), then open the shaker slightly and vent out the built-up pressure a little bit and then repeat the dry shakes a few more times. Finally, you add the ice and do the full shake (shaking with ice).
Let's talk about the whiskey used here. The whiskey that we used for this drink is the Knob Creek Bourbon. If making a Whiskey Sour then you can either use a Bourbon, a Rye, or a Scotch. Any one of them would be fine. However, the presence of egg whites in a Boston Sour can really conflict with the peaty flavor of a Scotch. So for a Boston Sour, stick to either a Bourbon or a Rye! Read about the meaning of peaty flavor here! A good read!
Ok, now let's make this!
Oh before I forget, so we've used maple syrup instead of sugar/simple syrup! I got this incredible assortment of maple syrups from Runamok Maple in Fairfax, Vermont. They sell a huge range of organic maple syrups, even cocktails syrups, and bitters! Check it out if you're in that area!
Step 1 : Gather the ingredients. We're making this drink for 2 servings.
Whiskey - We're using Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Aged Nine years
Lemons - 2
Egg whites - from 2 eggs. Save the yolk, and make a custard! If you're vegan or vegetarian, then use aquafaba (the leftover liquid in Goya cans!) Use 2 tablespoons for 1 egg white.
A shaker and jigger set
Maple/sugar/simple/agave syrup - I'm using the Whiskey Barrel Aged - Runamok Maple syrup.
Ice
Cocktail cherries for garnishing
Step 2 : Juice the lemons, and separate the eggs.
Step 3 : Measure out the ingredients in a jigger and pour them into the shaker. The measurements are
Whiskey - 4 oz (8 tablespoons)
Lemon Juice - 2 oz (4 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
Maple syrup (or simple syrup) - 1.5 oz (3 tablespoons)
Egg Whites - 2
Step 4 : Now, close the shaker, with its topper slanted to one side. With a circular seal, the chances of the shaker blowing up are increased. Then shake slowly, taking breaks between the shakes. This is dry shaking, as no ice has been added.
Step 5 : Now, once you've shaken without ice four or five times, add 5 - 6 cubes of ice, and shake again, slowly, for four to five times more.
Step 6 : Pour the drink, into pre-chilled glasses.
Step 7 : Add the cocktail sticks with cherries, and drink up this silky smooth beauty!
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