Big Batch Whisky Sour

• January 26, 2025
• Cocktails

A toast to citrus season.

by Erin Henderson

It’s citrus season, a fact that I think surprises most people. (Although, maybe not you if you read our last cocktail post for the NA Meyer Lemon Fizz.)
 
When spring finally breaks, we immediately equate sunshine with open windows and a bowl full of fragrant lemons centred on the family dining table.

But lemons (and limes and oranges ...) are actually ready to roll now. And thank gawd – we need a break, however temporarily, from the persistent grey of January.
 
When winter-weary company arrives at my door, my welcome cocktail is a classic Whisky Sour. Without the egg whites, thank-you-very-much. Egg whites smell like wet dog, and every time I take a sip, I want to gag. So, I forego the Instagram-worthy froth for a far more palatable (and aromatic) tipple.

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I also like Irish whisky in my cocktails. I find it smoother and more amiable with other flavours. Scotch can be a bit brash for this bright drink, and bourbon, with its vanilla and caramel notes, can add too much sweetness, for my taste. But this is me: you do you.
 
And speaking of palatable: inevitably, as the first cocktail is finishing up, the conversation is just getting good. To have to interrupt the flow of juicy gossip – or, worse, having to excuse oneself and miss all the fun – just to make another round of drinks is anathema to me. I don't advise party hosts to waste the evening measuring and mixing behind the bar. Just make a big batch before the party starts and let the good times roll. 

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