Despite the name, the New York Sour was invented in Chicago in the 1880s, called the "Continental Sour" at the time. The drink became briefly fashionable, faded, and was rediscovered in the 2000s cocktail-revival era. The structural addition is the red wine float over a Whiskey Sour. The visual split (golden sour at the bottom, ruby wine on top) makes it the most-photographed cocktail of any modern bar menu.

Ingredients

  • Bourbon or rye whiskey 60ml
  • Fresh lemon juice 25ml
  • Simple syrup 15ml
  • Egg white, optional (one) for foam
  • Dry red wine 15ml (Malbec, Shiraz, or Cabernet)
  • Expressed lemon peel to garnish

Method

  1. If using egg white: dry shake whiskey, lemon, syrup and egg white for 30 seconds.
  2. Add ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds.
  3. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
  4. Slowly float 15ml of dry red wine over the back of a barspoon onto the surface. The wine should sit on top, creating a visible colour split.
  5. Garnish with an expressed lemon peel.

The red wine float

The float is the entire show. Critical factors:

  • Wine choice: dry, full-bodied red. Malbec is the bartender's default (rich, deep colour). Shiraz, Cabernet, Zinfandel also work. Avoid Pinot Noir (too light) and Merlot (too soft).
  • Pouring technique: tilt the glass slightly. Hold a barspoon upside-down just above the drink surface. Pour wine slowly onto the back of the spoon so it lands gently on the surface.
  • Why it floats: red wine is slightly less dense than the cold whiskey-lemon-sugar base after ice dilution. The combination of density difference + slow pour creates the layer.

The egg white question

Some recipes call for egg white, some skip it. Both are valid:

With egg white: the foam layer separates the wine from the sour visually. Three distinct layers (wine, foam, sour). The original 1880s recipe used egg white.

Without egg white: two-layer split (wine on sour). Cleaner, more graphic. The modern minimalist preference.

For our default service, we use egg white because the three-layer split is more dramatic and the egg foam carries the wine aroma to the nose as you sip.

The whiskey question

Bourbon is the working default. The corn sweetness pairs with the lemon and red wine fruit. Buffalo Trace, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey 101 all work.

Rye gives a drier, more cocktail-bar-coded drink. Rittenhouse BIB or Sazerac Rye produce a tighter, more vermouth-adjacent flavour.

Scotch can work (the New York Sour becomes a "Scotch Sour with wine float") but tends to fight the wine. Stick to bourbon or rye.

What it should taste like

Drink the cocktail in three phases:

  1. First sip pulls wine and foam together. Read as fruit, tannin, soft acidity.
  2. Middle sips pull the sour body. Bourbon, lemon, sugar.
  3. End sips are mixed wine-and-sour where the layers integrate. Deeper, more complex.

If your glass is small enough that the layers mix as you drink, you have lost the experience. Use a tall rocks glass or a small wine glass.

Variations

Calamansi New York Sour: replace lemon with calamansi juice. Brighter, more orange-floral. Pairs particularly well with Malbec's plum-dark fruit.

Port New York Sour: replace the dry red wine float with ruby port. Sweeter, deeper, more dessert-coded.

White Wine variant: use a dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) for the float instead of red. Loses the visual drama; gains a fresher, less tannic finish.

Related

Frequently asked questions

What glass is the New York Sour served in?

A tall rocks glass or a small wine glass over fresh ice. The glass needs height for the layered visual: golden sour on the bottom, optional egg-white foam in the middle, ruby red wine floated on top. A short rocks glass mixes the layers as you drink and loses the trick.

Can I substitute the red wine float?

A dry, full-bodied red is required. Malbec is the bartender's default for its deep colour and plum-fruit profile. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Zinfandel all work. Avoid Pinot Noir (too light to float cleanly) and Merlot (too soft on the palate). Ruby port works as a sweeter dessert variation but pulls the drink toward after-dinner territory.

How strong is the New York Sour?

Around 16 to 19 percent ABV in the glass after the shake and the wine float. The 60ml of whiskey is the alcohol load; the lemon, syrup, optional egg white, and 15ml of wine add volume. Similar to a standard Whiskey Sour. Built to drink slow because the layered visual rewards observation and the wine integrates as you go.

Where can I order a New York Sour in PJ or KL?

On request at Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya (43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Tue to Sun 15:00 to 01:00, WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607) and at Soluble Solids in SS2, Petaling Jaya (50-1 Jalan SS2/24, Wed to Sun 18:00 to 01:00, WhatsApp +60 11-1682 8651). Both bars are in Tatler Asia Top 20 Bars 2025/26. We pour the egg-white version by default for the three-layer split.

What food pairs with the New York Sour?

Steak with red wine reduction. Aged cheeses (parmigiano, manchego). Charcuterie with figs. The drink already has wine in it, so it pairs the way wine does. For Malaysian context, lamb shank curry or beef rendang both work because the dark fruit of the wine sits well with the spice. Avoid raw fish or anything delicate; the wine layer is too aggressive.