Union Club
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 20.9% ABV ∙
The Union Club is a bourbon sour built with triple sec, lime, orgeat, and grenadine, egg-white shaken and served up in a coupe. A plush, cloud-like foam caps a tart, nutty core, with a warm caramel backbone and a bright citrus snap on the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Bourbon 60 mlTriple sec 10 mlLime juice 15 mlOrgeat (almond) syrup 5 mlGrenadine syrup 5 mlEgg white 15 ml
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Double shake: shake with ice first, strain out, then dry shake without ice to build a denser, longer-lasting foam.
- Express the orange twist directly over the foam right before serving so the citrus oils sit visibly on top.
- Measure the orgeat and grenadine carefully — both are potent sweeteners that can quickly overpower the lime's acidity.
History
The Union Club is documented in David A. Embury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, published in 1948, which lists a whiskey sour-style formula of orange curaçao, lime juice, rye whiskey, orgeat, grenadine, and egg white shaken with cracked ice. Embury's book, one of the influential mixing guides of its era, calls for rye specifically, and modern versions of the drink often substitute bourbon while keeping the same supporting ingredients. No documented account ties the name to a specific club, event, or earlier source, and the drink is distinct from a same-named Campari-and-maraschino cocktail created decades later by a Seattle bartender.
