New Yorker
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 19.5% ABV ∙
The New Yorker is a shaken bourbon sour built with red wine, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and orange juice, finished with an expressed orange twist. Bourbon warmth leads, red-wine fruit deepens the middle, and citrus keeps the whole pour bright rather than heavy.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Bourbon 60 mlRed wine 15 mlLemon juice 15 mlSugar syrup 10 mlOrange juice 10 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard and long enough to fully chill the red wine and juices — a weak shake leaves the drink thin and under-diluted.
- Pre-chill the coupe before straining; the drink is served up with no ice, so a warm glass costs it its chill fast.
- Express the orange twist directly over the surface before dropping it in — the oils carry more aroma than the peel alone.
- Use a fruity, light-bodied red wine rather than a heavy tannic one, or it will overpower the bourbon and citrus balance.
History
The New Yorker has no documented creation story of its own; it appears only in modern recipe collections as a bourbon sour built with a measure of red wine shaken through it, without a named bartender, venue or date attached to its invention. It sits in the same family as the New York Sour, a whiskey sour topped with a float of red wine that is generally traced to a Chicago bartender in the 1880s; that drink went through several earlier names, including Continental Sour and Southern Whiskey Sour, before the New York Sour label took hold. The New Yorker follows the same pattern of whiskey, citrus and sweetener with red wine, distinguishing itself mainly through its proportions and by shaking the wine into the drink rather than floating it on top.
FAQ
What is in a New Yorker cocktail?
A New Yorker is bourbon shaken with red wine, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and fresh orange juice, fine-strained into a coupe and finished with an expressed orange twist. It is a vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free drink at about 19.5% ABV and roughly 192 calories per serving.
How do you make a New Yorker cocktail?
Chill a coupe glass, then shake the bourbon, red wine, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and orange juice hard with ice. Fine-strain into the chilled glass and express an orange twist over the top before dropping it in as garnish.
What is a New Yorker cocktail?
The New Yorker is a bourbon sour that mixes red wine directly into the shake rather than floating it on top, giving it a fruity, slightly tart edge from the citrus. It's fine strained into a chilled coupe and finished with an orange twist.
Is egg white necessary in a Whiskey Sour?
No, egg white is optional in a Whiskey Sour; it adds a silky foam and softer texture but the drink is complete without it. Some bourbon sours, such as the New Yorker, skip egg white entirely and instead get body and depth from a small amount of red wine.
