Have a Happy Hour on us with this whiskey sour recipe

From the experts at the Irish Whiskey Museum in Dublin a surefire guide to making a delicious whiskey sour.

Irish whiskey, a global phenomenon, is booming, and right in the center of Dublin, across from Trinity College, the Irish Whiskey Museum celebrates the history and current renaissance of "uisce beatha", aka the water of life. 

The Irish Whiskey Museum opened its doors in November 2014, and, since opening, the growth of the whiskey industry in Ireland continues apace.  In 2013, there were only four distilleries in operation and five visitor centers on the island. Now there are 24 working distilleries, with another 29 in planning. The Irish Whiskey Museum, independent of any distillery, offers visitors the opportunity to taste and experience a wide range of whiskeys.

Below is their guide to making the perfect whiskey sour. The oldest historical reference to whiskey sours was in a Wisconsin newspaper in 1870. The cocktail is made by mixing whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and optionally, a dash of egg white.

Here is the Irish Whiskey Museum's take.

Whiskey Sour recipe

Old-fashioned glass - chilled

Ingredients

- 35.5ml Irishman Founders Reserve
- 20ml egg white
- 20ml lemon juice
- 20ml sugar syrup
- Angostura bitters to garnish

Method

1. Add whiskey, lemon, EW & SS to the shaker, and add ice.  Hard shake for 45 seconds.  

2. Single strain to remove ice.   

3. Dry shake for a further 20 seconds.   

4. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

5. Garnish three dots of bitters-use a toothpick to design.

For more information, visit www.IrishWhiskeyMuseum.ie.

* Originally published in May 2020 and updated in Nov 2025.