Its finally saturday– the time of the week our pre-pandemic selves would look forward to for an after-work beer or a last-call cocktail. It would’ve been a busy night for Barangay Poblacion with the usual traffic along Kalayaan road all the way to EDSA’s sea of red lights. BGC’s Fort Strip would be business as usual with clubs such as Revel and The Palace Pool Club packed like a can of sardines. But because someone decided to consume questionable wildlife (or so the tale goes), our lives have completely changed. Cheers to that!
Now that the liquor ban has been lifted, We’ve asked a few friends what they’ve been drinking at home. First on our list is a Whiskey Sour built by Elliot Smith.
Elliot Smith is a Filipino raised in 5 countries, including the Philippines, Russia, Korea, the UK, and the US — currently residing in NYC. He works in financial services and has always had an interest in bartending. (Also hates paying for $16 NYC cocktails)
The whiskey sour belongs to a family of sour cocktails. It usually contains a base spirit or liqueur, citrus juice and a sweetener. According to Simon Difford, the combination of the base spirit, water, sugar and citrus juice means that a sour is basically a scaled-down punch– the earliest form of cocktail. While sours can be incredibly simple, they are arguably the oldest and most important of cocktail categories.
Popularized by the British navy, the sailors would often mix the rum with lime juice and drink to help boot their immune system against scurvy and malnutrition while on a long voyage, patrolling the Caribbean.
According to Difford’s Guide, the first know written recipe of a Sour appears in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 book, The Bartender’s Guide which has recipes for a Brandy Sour, a Gin Sour and a Rum sour.
SOURCE: DIFFORD’S GUIDE