Gin sour is an old cocktail, and it comes with a surprise ingredient that sounds like it doesn’t belong but changes the drink entirely.
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What is Gin Sour?
Gin Sour is a gin-based cocktail that’s meant to add extra flavor to gin, with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. But it also has another ingredient: raw egg white ! The point of this ingredient is to give the cocktail a smoother flavor, and to offer a nice foam on top of the drink, kind of like the foam you find on beer. As you might’ve guessed, the Gin Sour is in the same family as the Whiskey Sour (also with egg).
Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
- 0.5 oz raw egg white or aquafaba
- 2-3 drops aromatic bitters optional
Instructions
- In a shaker combine all ingredients, shake without ice for 15 seconds.
- Add a few ice cubes to shaker, shake again.
- Strain into coupe or Martini glass.
- If adding bitters, spot them onto the foam.
Notes
- The dry shake builds a lot of pressure, it's very likely to spill a bit when you open the shaker.
- The bitters are there mostly for show, they won't change the overall flavor of the drink. You can omit them if you want.
- You can use aquabafa (chickpea water) in place of eggwhite, in the same amount.
When is this drink best ?
I find the Gin Sour to be quite a fancy cocktail, so it’d say this works great as a pre-dinner drink, and definitely not something to sip on while clubbing, or on the beach. No, this is a more refined cocktail and something to ponder as you sip.
I also think the beautiful foam on top, along with the color scheme, makes the Gin Sour a really suitable winter or cold season drink.
My thoughts on Gin Sour
I found the gin Sour to be surprisingly good, and I have to admit I had zero trust in the egg white. But it turns out it’s good, and it’s also a bit of a snack. I couldn’t detect an effect on the texture of the drink (minus the foam layer) but my husband says the egg gave the drink a somewhat creamy feel.
The flavors themselves are simple – lemon juice goes very well with gin, and simple syrup just sweetens without adding another layer of flavor. There’s something a little spicy in there too, I’m assuming it’s the gin and it cuts deeper due to the lemon juice.
Overall a very elegant and easy to enjoy drink. It’s still strong, since there’s 2 ounces of pure gin in there.
If you like Gin Sour, you might also like…
Gin Fizz – a Gin Sour with club soda
Bee’s Knees – a gin sour with honey syrup, without egg
Gin Tonic – your choice of gin and tonic water, can easily be made highball or lowball
Clover Club – a gin sour with raspberry
Aperol Sour – an Aperol and gin sour
White Lady – a different version of gin sour
Vodka Sour – a gin sour with vodka instead
Rum Sour – a gin sour with rum instead
Notes, substitutes, and tips
The gin sour calls for egg white to form that foam on top, but you can use aquafaba instead, in the same amount, and get the same result. Aquafaba is the water you get in canned chickpeas, it has a lot of protein and when you shake it it foams just like egg white.
I added a few dashes of aromatic bitters, but they don’t do anything to the overall flavor of the drink. The drops are absorbed by the foam, and unless you’re drinking directly from the foam, you won’t taste them. They look pretty though, which is what I was going for.
