Chicago, late 1800s.
| 2 oz · 60 ml | RYE WHISKEY | 45 % |
| ¾ oz · 22 ml | LEMON JUICE | |
| ½ oz · 15 ml | SIMPLE SYRUP | |
| 1 splash | EGG WHITE | |
| ½ oz · 15 ml | RED WINE | 13 % |
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
| Pre-batch | 4 oz mixed with ice, 0.97 oz of it pure alcohol |
|---|---|
| Melt | Shaken: +20 % of the pre-batch, +0.8 oz of water |
| Served | 4 + 0.8 = 4.8 oz in the glass |
| Strength | 0.97 ÷ 4.8 = 20.1 % ABV as served |
| Ethanol | 0.97 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 23 g · about 158 kcal from the alcohol alone |
FROM RYE · from oak barrel aging
Bourbon's fingerprint, extracted from the charred American oak the law requires for aging. Same molecule as the vanilla bean's signature, so a well-aged bourbon legitimately tastes like vanilla. Chemistry, not metaphor. Cognac, aged rum, tequila reposado all extract vanillin from oak too. Different barrels, same molecule.
ALSO IN Old Fashioned · Manhattan · Whiskey Sour · Paper Plane · Boulevardier · Sazerac · Espresso Martini · Mai Tai
FROM LEMON · the lemon aroma
Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.
ALSO IN Margarita · Mojito · Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation
FROM RED WINE FLOAT · famous antioxidant in red wine
The famous antioxidant from grape skins, concentrated in red wine because reds ferment with skin contact. Hyped in the 2000s for cardiovascular benefits at doses far higher than wine actually delivers: a glass of red contains roughly 1 mg, the studied doses were ~250 mg. Still beautiful chemistry. Just not the something the magazine articles promised.
ALSO IN Mulled Wine · Sangria
A rye whiskey sour with a red wine float. The wine gives two layers: a dark claret on top and a foamy yellow sour beneath. Tannins from the wine read as the finish, and its tartaric acid adds a second, drier sourness.
First documented in Chicago in the 1880s, where bartenders finished whiskey sours with a 'snap' of claret; it went by the Continental Sour and Southern Whiskey Sour before the New York Sour name attached, after it caught on in New York in the early 1900s. The red-wine float (typically a sturdy claret-style red: malbec, shiraz, or zinfandel) is the entire trick: the wine sits on the foam cap and stays separate until the drinker disturbs it. Modern bartenders sometimes use port for richer depth.
