New York sour cocktail recipe! This gorgeous whiskey cocktail is a variation of the whiskey sour with a red wine float.
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Hello, Rhubarbarians! I'm excited to share one of the most beautiful whiskey cocktail recipes with you: the New York sour!
This impressive and stunning cocktail is a fun twist on a whiskey sour with an added red wine float. It's a classic cocktail that any whiskey sour lover should absolutely try.
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Why you'll love this
The New York sour is amazingly balanced with sweetness from the simple syrup and tartness from the lemon juice. The whiskey adds warmth while the red wine adds a depth of flavor that elevates the cocktail.
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What is a New York sour?
The New York sour, AKA the continental sour or the Southern whiskey sour, is a variation of the whiskey sour, with an added red wine float. The red wine floats atop the whiskey sour to create a gorgeous, two-toned cocktail. It seems to have made it's first appearance in Chicago in the late 1800s, but became very popular in New York soon after. The name was then commonly known as the New York sour.
Ingredients and equipment
Here's everything you need to make the perfect New York sour cocktail at home like a pro. Full ingredient amounts with instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
Ingredients:
- Whiskey, bourbon, or rye. I recommend using a whiskey that you love, as this is the main alcohol in the cocktail. My favorite is Bulleit 95 Rye Frontier Whiskey.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Simple syrup. Here's how to make simple syrup at home.
- Dry red wine. Again, I recommend using a wine that you enjoy drinking. I like to use Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Tempranillo.
- Ice
Equipment:
- Cocktail shaker
- Cocktail jigger or liquid measuring spoons. Here's a decently priced cocktail shaker set you can buy!
- Low ball cocktail glass. These vintage style cocktail glasses are fabulous!
- Small spoon
How do you make simple syrup? To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely.
Step by step instructions
Here's a visual guide for making a classic New York sour to impress. Full instructions with ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
- First, make sure you have cooled simple syrup on hand. To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely.
- Grab a cocktail shaker and a low ball cocktail glass and let's get to it!
- Pour the whiskey into the cocktail shaker.
- Then add the lemon juice.
- Then add the simple syrup.
- Fill your cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake until the cocktail shaker is very cold.
- Fill a cocktail glass with ice and pour the shaken cocktail into your glass, leaving some room at the top for the wine.
- Drizzle the wine very slowly over the back of a spoon over your cocktail glass. It should "float" close to the top of the cocktail.
- Garnish with a lemon peel if desired.
- Cheers and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
I recommend serving a New York sour as an impressive, beautiful single cocktail. Make one for yourself, two for you and your partner, or a few for a small gathering. Because this is a shaken cocktail and it has a red wine float, this isn't great for large gatherings or big batches.
Serve your cocktail cold and over ice without a straw. Sip it from the rim of the glass so that you get red wine in your sip.
Get fancy and garnish your New York sour with:
- A lemon peel garnish (as shown in the photos)
- Bourbon soaked cherries
- A lemon or lime wedge
Recipe tips and variations
- Have your simple syrup made and cooled before making your cocktail.
- Some recipes include adding one egg white to the shaker to get more of a frothy texture.
- Swap the simple syrup for once ounce (one Tablespoon) of maple syrup.
- Rub a piece of lemon peel around the rim of the glass before serving.
- Try adding a dash of angostura bitters.
- When serving, don't serve with a straw. You want to sip from the rim of the glass.
FAQs
The answer isn't clear. The New York sour is thought to have originated in Chicago in the 1800s and then named the continental sour. It is assumed that a bartender in New York popularized the cocktail, thus naming it the New York sour.
The New York sour cocktail starts off tart and bold with red wine and lemon juice, ending oaky and sweet with whiskey and simple syrup.
No. Don't stir the red wine into the cocktail.
Of course you can! However, it is laborious to make for a busy bartender. Assess your surroundings and tip well if you do!
More whiskey cocktails to try:
- Meyer lemon old fashioned
- Strawberry and orange bourbon cocktail
- Apple cider hot toddy
- Vegan whiskey chai
- Blackberry old fashioned
You can find our favorite spring whiskey cocktails here!
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
New York sour cocktail recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces good quality whiskey, bourbon, or rye
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- ice
- ½ ounce dry red wine
- lemon peel garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker.
- Fill both the cocktail shaker and a low ball cocktail glass with ice.
- Shake your cocktail shaker until very cold on the outside, about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture over the ice into your cocktail glass, leaving a bit of room at the top for the wine.
- Make a red wine float by slowly drizzling the red wine over the back of a small spoon over your cocktail glass.
- Serve with a lemon peel garnish (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
- Have your simple syrup made and cooled before making your cocktail.
- Some recipes include adding one egg white to the shaker to get more of a frothy texture.
- Swap the simple syrup for once ounce (one Tablespoon) of maple syrup.
- Rub a piece of lemon peel around the rim of the glass before serving.
- Try adding a dash of angostura bitters.
- When serving, don't serve with a straw. You want to sip from the rim of the glass.
Nutrition
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Saint and SinnerAgate
I'm interested in what kind of wine did you use in this recipe? Dry, semi dry, sweet? What kind of grapes?
Thanks!
Patricia Bozeman
Hi there! I believe I used a malbec for this recipe. I'd stick to a bold, dry wine to keep the drink from being too sweet.
errely
This looks great - Red wine in a cocktail? Yep - I'm in!
Patricia Bozeman
ha! Me too..... obvs. 🙂
Kate@Diethood
That's a beautiful drink!
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks so much Kate!
Michael
Cool site!
Angi
I have never heard of a wine float on a whiskey sour! I may need to try that...
Favorite cocktail...favorite cocktail...that's a hard one. I normally don't take the time...I'm a rum and diet coke girl, haha. If someone's making me something though, I do like a good long island iced tea.
jacquie
not much of a cocktail person myself but prefer liquor sipped. Does an irish coffee count for a cocktail? if so, that would likely be my favorite.
Jennifer
I'm not much of a cocktail gal these days -- hangovers essentially cured me of that, but I do love just about anything involving cheap red wine 🙂
However, if I'm going out to a bar (a once a year experience these days), I almost always order some variation of a vodka tonic.
Tabetha
I love a good whiskey sour!!