Whisky Sour with honey syrup in place of simple.
Why you are pouring this tonight
The first time I poured a Whisky Sour with honey instead of simple syrup, it was 11pm on a Sunday, the bar had run out of caster, and a friend who claims to be a “honey person” was watching with the focused intensity of a man waiting to be proven right. He was. The drink came out softer, rounder, slightly more like a hug from someone who has just walked in from a Tasmanian apiary smelling of leatherwood and quiet confidence.
That’s the whole pitch. Same drink, same proportions, same satisfying bourbon hit. You just trade one sweetener for another with more personality. Use a runny honey, not the supermarket squeeze-bottle that tastes vaguely of regret. A teaspoon of something proper from a farmer’s market or a Beechworth jar, dissolved in the lemon juice before you shake. The bourbon does the heavy lifting. The honey turns up to the dinner, makes one well-timed joke, and leaves before anyone gets bored.
What to pour it alongside
End of dinner, with a dark chocolate plate.
Notes
Use a sturdy bourbon, Knob Creek, Wild Turkey 101. The egg white is what makes the drink, do not skip.
The recipe
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