We always like to have a special cocktail up our sleeves to offer guests on arrival. Lately it’s likely it has been a Sour… We’ve been obsessed with this fantastic revival (and reviving) drink.

The idea for a lightly spiced sour has been hibernating in our freezer for a while. We reckon it is perfect for this L4 cold snap we’re experiencing ! It is foamy + rich but not too sweet. Warming whisky, sour lemon, a hint of apple + spice make this a perfect after dinner drink (it would be great with an apple pudding !). Once made, the ingredients will keep for weeks.

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YOU WILL NEED

45mL Apple-infused Jameson Whiskey
(if infusing your own whiskey is just too hard, then skip this step and use straight whisky, the drink will still be great and you can experiment with a little more syrup to compensate the flavour)
15mL Spiced Apple Syrup
30mL Fresh lemon juice
15-30mL egg white

A jar or shaker, sieve, ice + glassware

Infuse the whisky
(Or don’t ! See above)

In a large container combine: 4-5 chopped, fresh (or even better, dehydrated) apples
2 x cinnamon sticks, 4 x star anise, 1 x T of all spice berries, 1 x T coriander seeds

Pour the whisky over and seal tightly. Allow to infuse for 2-3 days if you have dehydrated the fruit first or longer for fresh fruit. Infuse in a warm place, shake + taste test regularly. Once you’re happy with the infusion, strain and re-bottle ! It will keep for months, though the flavour of the apples will fade over time. Refrigerate or freeze to preserve.

To make the spiced apple syrup:

2 Cups of apple juice

1 cup of raw sugar

1 tsp of miso paste

1-2 star anise

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp dried all spice berries

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes — to taste

1/2 tsp green peppercorns

Dry roast the spices for a few minutes on a medium heat (don’t let them burn), once fragrant, add the apple juice, miso paste and sugar. Whisk to dissolve the miso and sugar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then strain the syrup twice if you can (once with a sieve, and again with a fine strainer or muslin to remove some of the miso solids).
You’ll have about 400mL of a light syrup that is delicious and quite richly coloured. Peel the rind of a lemon into the syrup and leave to cool. The syrup will keep refrigerated for 3-4 weeks.

To make the Sour:

Into a jar or shaker add your whiskey, lemon juice, spiced apple syrup, then the egg white. Close the jar or shaker and give it a hard vigorous ‘dry’ shake for 20 seconds to help loosen and activate the egg white. Then add a scoop of ice and ‘wet’ shake until lovely and super cold — about 20 seconds should do it. You want it cold, but not overly diluted. Taste it. Add more syrup or whiskey as you please ;P

Strain the drink through a sieve into a pretty glass, and garnish with a slice of apple or star anise. Drink immediately !

Disclaimers + tips: Bar nerds get very very particular about how they make + shake (which is ace), and like most good cocktails the Sour has many many opinions. Whisky aficionados too. Don’t let any of that ruin your fun. Choose your whisky/whiskey — something smooth but not too expensive. Adjust your sour to taste. It should be sour. If you don’t have access to miso paste you could swap it out for a pinch of salt. You can use whatever whisky you like, reverse the order of the dry + wet shakes, and if you prefer, serve this on ice in a rocks glass…

— Emma X

SHAKE YOURSELF: A SPICED APPLE SOUR

YOU WILL NEED