The Whiskey Sour cocktail is an easy drinking, very delicious cocktail; it is a cocktail that is also very riffable. For awhile my favorite was the Yuzu Whiskey Sour recipe, but since I used a hard to find ingredient, Sqirl’s yuzu marmalade, making it whenever I wanted proved to be a challenge. So I raided the fridge in search of a more “everyday” ingredient: orange marmalade.
Lately I’ve been trying to get more quick recipes up on the site to balance out the more “complicated” or multi-step drinks. Both have their place, but these cocktails are ready to be whipped up in a flash. And bonus, this recipe qualifies as a brunch cocktail too!
If you’re making this at brunch and already have the eggs out, add in an egg white for that silky mouthfeel. Did you know that adding an egg white into a Whiskey Sour recipes actually makes it a “Boston Sour”? See? Very adaptable to what you’re wanting to drink on a given day.
Why add in the marmalade? Orange marmalade gives the drink a bitter punch and a more floral aroma. It also adds another flavor of sweetness to just the straight sugar. My preference here is to not double strain, as I like a peel or two in the final drink, but you can double strain if you don’t want them floating around. If you’re really into peels you can always add in an extra 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Keep in mind it will alter the final sweetness of the drink.
Ok, let’s jam on it!
Orange Marmalade Whiskey Sour
2 ounces whiskey
1 ounce freshly squeeze lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup (1:1 ratio)
1 heaping bar spoon orange marmalade, Bonne Maman used here
1/2 ounce egg white, optional
If using the egg white, add all ingredients into a shaker and dry shake 20 seconds. Add ice and shake again 20 seconds. Strain into a small rocks glass or coupe.
If not using the egg white, add ice into a shaker, pour in all ingredients, and shake 20 seconds. Strain into a small rocks glass or coupe.
Other options:
Is there a store you go into that, once there–even with a list in hand, you always come out with WAY more than you intended (and I’m not counting Target, because, really, that’s everyone on the planet.)? My downfall is World Market. I love to shop there for props. I will go in with a very specific list, and leave with several bags of stuff. And when I say “stuff” I mean candy from their food section. I’m sorry, but if you put me in a room with a pack of Hobnobs and some tortilla flavored Ritter Sport I am just not passing the marshmallow test (shout out to all you Early Childhood Development Majors).
Chinotto is a generic term for a soft drink produced by several companies in Italy, but mostly known here in the states from San Pellegrino. I first happened upon it when I was creative director at a company that imported it but refused to try it because I was told it was “bitter” and didn’t like the dark brown color. This was in the early 2000’s before it was cool to drink bitter things by the way. Also, I was young and still developing a palate.
But now, hey, it’s cool to drink all the bitter things! So I picked up a 6 pack of this sparkling fruit drink, thinking I’d make something with it. Fast forward a few weeks and after having a week long happy hour habit of dinner time Negroni cocktails…I ran out of Campari. Usually when this happens (and it’s more frequent than you’d think) I turn towards a White Negroni, but this time I thought I’d replace the Campari with Chinotto. It’s less bitter, more sweet, but I find that the bubbles cut the sweetness back a bit.
The Negroni Nero
Here in Los Angeles I’ve been downing frozen cocktails with abandon, but there are even those days when I just can’t drag out the blender. So, in steps the two ingredient cocktail.
While you could make this a one ingredient drink and have it poured over ice, I like to make this a highball (or lowball depending on the glass type I’m using) by mixing it with soda water over ice. It’s really an any time kinda drink: before going out, after a meal, during your kid’s nap…
This post was made in partnership with Vinho Verde Wines. Recipe and ideas are my own.
Picnics sure have changed a lot since I was little, obviously. There’s definitely wine now. However, the bugs are still there in droves. But I get to stay out a lot later so…win!
Today I’ve partnered with 
You can’t have a picnic without some great picnic food too. And if we’re drinking Portuguese wine, we are definitely eating Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese egg tarts). These light, slightly sweetened tarts hold up well outdoors. I have a few bakeries here in Los Angeles that I like to buy mine from, although I’m linking to a solid recipe below if you’d like to bake yours. I do like to dress mine up a bit for the picnic with some wine-candied lemon peels which I DO have a recipe for below using the same wine we’ll make spritzes with.
A picnic should not be a stressful affair. Here’s some tips to help make your day go off without a hitch!
Vinho Verde Spritz (makes one Spritz)
Wine Candied Lemon Peels for Pastéis de Nata (Egg Tarts)
