Gin Sour
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 16.9% ABV ∙
The Gin Sour is a classic shaken sour of gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup, often built with egg white for a silky head. Tart lemon leads over a soft, juniper-laced gin base, the egg white turning it silky before a light bitters snap dries the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Old Tom gin 60 mlLemon juice 30 mlSugar syrup 15 mlEgg white 15 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 3 dashes
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- Shake with ice first, then strain back into the empty shaker and dry shake — whipping the drink once it is already cold is what builds the thick, stable head.
- Fine-strain the final pour so no ice shards or foam bubbles break the smooth surface in the glass.
- Pre-chill the glass before straining in so the drink doesn't lose its temperature the moment it's poured.
- Add the bitters as dashes only, not a pour — three dashes are enough to perfume the foam without overpowering the lemon.
History
The Gin Sour belongs to the Sour family of drinks — spirit, citrus, and sweetener — that Jerry Thomas codified in his 1862 guide The Bartender's Guide, which included recipes for a Brandy Sour, a Gin Sour, and a rum-based Santa Cruz Sour alongside the better-known Whiskey Sour. It is one of several sibling sours from that book, built the same way but swapping in gin as the base spirit.
The gin version is documented as a traditional mixed drink that predates Prohibition in the United States, made simply from gin, lemon juice, and sugar, and it remained popular into the 1940s as a period fixture alongside the Whiskey Sour, the Gin Rickey, and the Tom Collins. Adding soda water to the same base turns it into a Gin Fizz, and later bartenders began adding egg white for a smoother, foamier texture, a variation some categorize as a Boston Sour style.
FAQ
What is a Gin Sour?
A Gin Sour is a double-shaken Old Tom gin cocktail built with lemon juice for tartness and egg white for a foamy texture, served over ice in an old-fashioned glass with a lemon wheel and cherry garnish.
What goes in a gin sour?
Gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup form the base, with egg white commonly added for foam and body. This recipe also adds a few dashes of aromatic bitters on top, using Old Tom gin specifically for its rounder, slightly sweeter profile.
What is the difference between a Gin Fizz and a Gin Sour?
A Gin Fizz is a Gin Sour lengthened with soda water and served in a tall glass, while a Gin Sour is shaken and strained with no carbonation, served short over ice. Both share the same gin, lemon, and sugar base, but the fizz's soda top gives it a lighter, effervescent character the sour doesn't have.
Is a Tom Collins a Gin Sour?
Not exactly — a Tom Collins is a lengthened, carbonated variation on the Gin Sour, built with soda water and served tall over ice in a Collins glass. The Gin Sour itself is shorter and un-carbonated, shaken and strained into a smaller glass.
What gin is best for a Gin Sour?
Old Tom gin is the classic choice, and it's what this recipe uses, since its slight sweetness balances the lemon without needing extra sugar. A dry London gin also works well for a crisper, more juniper-forward result if Old Tom isn't on hand.
How much alcohol is in a Gin Sour?
This Gin Sour comes out to about 16.9% ABV as served, a moderate strength since the lemon juice, syrup, and egg white all dilute the single pour of gin.
How do you make a good Gin Sour?
Shake the gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white, and bitters together with ice, then strain back into the shaker and dry shake again without ice to firm up the foam. Fine-strain into a chilled, ice-filled glass and finish with a lemon wheel and cherry. The double shake is what separates a good, thick-headed Gin Sour from a thin one.
