Food Recipes This Whiskey Sour Cocktail Is the Ideal Way to Celebrate the Start of September 3.7 (15) Add your rating & review What’s a whiskey sour, you ask? It’s one of the most satisfying classic cocktails, built upon a perfectly balanced combination of three flavor elements: spirit, sour, and sweet. Your go-to spirit here is (obviously) whiskey—bourbon is the traditional pick—but you’re free to select the style that suits you. The sour component is fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and the sweet is simple syrup, or a 1:1 solution of granulated sugar that’s been dissolved in water. Finish with an orange twist and maraschino cherry. How simple is that? By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 01, 2020 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Svetlana-Cherruty/Getty Images Hands On Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 2 ounces bourbon ¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice ¾ ounce simple syrup Orange twist, for garnish Maraschino cherry, for garnish Directions Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice before covering and shaking vigorously. Continue shaking for about 15 seconds. Strain cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir, then garnish with the orange twist and maraschino cherry. Rate It Print