Sour Japes: Paul Feig x The Rake Cocktail Column
Menswear may be bound by certain realities, but spirits and cocktails are ripe for playful experimentation. Here, our resident expert rethinks one of the most traditional tipples, the whiskey sour.
In honour of The Rake’s women’s issue, I would like to confess something: I’ve always been jealous of women’s fashion. Women simply have far more options for looks and styles than we fellas do. Sure, there are menswear designers doing all kinds of crazy experiments with the traditions of our standard uniforms — bold takes on suits and outerwear and shirts and trousers and shoes — but none of them seem to stick when they venture too far from the staples. It’s also hard to pull off some of the more outlandish takes, especially as we get older. There’s nothing more cringey than seeing a guy in his fifties trying to pull off a look that even the coolest 20-year-old can barely get away with. (Jeff Goldblum excepted.)
No, women have so much choice, and can look great in pretty much any design, because there’s no set standard or established silhouette, even when it comes to formalwear. Almost anything goes. For guys, though, it’s suits, ties, sports jackets, trousers, shirts and sweaters. We can gussy up our suits with pocket-squares, boutonnières and cuff links, and have fun with our tie patterns, but the options fall off a cliff after that.
And so we’re left to break with tradition in other areas of our life. Like cocktails! (You knew I’d get there eventually.)
If you have read my columns before, you know I’m quite a hardcore traditionalist when it comes to my beloved martinis — keep the glasses classic (no crazy crooked stems or ball bases), always add vermouth, and, for God’s sake, use only gin. But once I venture away from the king of cocktails, I think there’s lots of leeway to turn even the most traditional drinks into whatever you want them to be.
Take the whiskey sour. Tradition says it’s made with egg whites and served in a sour glass, which is a cross between a martini coupe and an Irish coffee glass. That is a great way to enjoy one. But it’s not the only way.
Dealing with a raw egg and separating the yolk from the white may be a cool stunt for a bartender, but for the rest of us it’s a pain in the ass.
Let’s start with the egg white. Shaking a whiskey sour with an egg white creates a delightfully creamy, foamy head and a smooth velvety texture to the entire drink. But you can skip the egg, too. Omitting the egg white makes the intensity of the sour stand out more, allowing the sweetness of the syrup to have a lovely battle with the tartness of the lemon juice as they play supporting characters to your whiskey of choice. It’s also easier to make. Dealing with a raw egg and separating the yolk from the white may be a cool stunt for a showy bartender, but for the rest of us it’s sort of a pain in the ass.
Next is on-the-rocks versus up. Whether you use egg white or not, there’s something kind of cool about a whiskey sour in an old- fashioned glass. An iceless sour glass lets the drink get warm faster, whereas a sour on the rocks can be carried around a party and sipped at the perfect temperature for quite a while, allowing you to stretch out your evening. And no offence to anyone, but I think an old-fashioned glass looks more sophisticated than a sour glass, which has a bit of a dessert drink feel to it.
Other options include your choice of sweetener. While simple syrup is the standard, there’s no law that says you can’t use maple syrup, which will add a bit more flavour. On the whiskey front, I prefer using a rye whiskey, which has more bite to it. Bourbon also works well, and is able to fight its way to the front of the stage. Up to you.
Taking all these variations into account, I present to you what I think is a really great and easy alternative to the traditional whiskey sour.
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Paul’s Simple Sour • 2 oz. rye whiskey or bourbon Shake the whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour the contents into an old-fashioned glass, ice and all. Top with extra ice to fill the glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and lemon twist. |
Would you like to help support the women in our lives? Donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. It’s the sweet, not sour, thing to do.
