Mixology at Home - Japanese Sour

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The traditional whiskey sour is pretty good as is, so why change it? No matter how much you like a cocktail, there comes a time you want to change. We take the whiskey sour everyone is familiar with and instead of an American spirit, we use Japanese whisky.

By the way, the whiskey sour reportedly was invented, not in America, but rather in a bar in Peru sometime around 1870.

We will use:

• 2 ounces of Japanese whiskey
• 1 ounce of sweet and sour syrup
• 2 to 4 drops (depending upon your taste) of habanero bitters
• Jalapeno slice for garnish

Add whiskey, syrup, and bitters to a shaker with ice; shake to mix and chill the cocktail and strain into a sour glass. Garnish with a slice of jalapeno.

This is just one way to change the whiskey sour. You can substitute honey for the sugar in the sweet and sour syrup for example. Maybe add a half ounce of sweet vermouth or Elderflower liqueur? Some bartenders have used orange or grapefruit juice.

The sweet and sour syrup is as simple as ... well ... simple syrup. You use equal parts of water, sugar, lemon juice, and lime juice in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, dissolving the sugar, simmer for a couple of minutes, and then let it cool before storing it in an air-tight bottle. It can last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

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