Make it an extra festive St. Patrick's Day with this perfect Jameson whiskey sour! Featuring a wonderfully creamy, frothy topping and freshly squeezed lemon juice, this Irish whiskey sour makes for one refreshing, smooth sipper. After one sip, you'll love this cocktail so much that you won't want to save it just for St. Patrick's Day — it's sure to become a no favorite, no matter the time of year.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
That smooth drinking experience: With that foam topping and mellow Irish whiskey, this drink goes down oh-so smoothly. It’s perfect for both beginner and long-time whiskey drinkers.
Makes for a fancier St. Patrick’s Day cocktail: Green beer may be fun at your local parade, but if you’d like to serve a more sophisticated cocktail that’s still plenty festive, you found your perfect recipe. With that stunning frothy topping, you’ll look like an expert mixologist when you set down this finely crafted drink in front of your guests.
Comes with a batching option: Let’s make sure you don’t spend all your time at your St. Patrick’s Day mixing drinks. We can prepare the base of the cocktail ahead of time, so all you have to do is shake and serve.
Ingredients
Jameson Irish whiskey: Jameson is easily the best known and most widely available Irish whiskey. That said, you’re welcome to use another brand. If you’d like to explore more distilleries, here’s a list of other Irish whiskeys.
Lemon juice: Always opt for fresh lemon juice in cocktails. Bottled juice and store-bought sour mix seriously lack that bright flavor.
Simple syrup: While you can buy simple syrup, I prefer to make my own. You can make homemade simple syrup by bringing 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring every so often. Once the sugar dissolves, you have your simple syrup.
Egg white: This is what gives this drink that beloved foamy topping. While you can technically skip the egg white, I don’t recommend it. You’ll miss out on that velvety texture that makes this drink so special.
Bitters: Standard angostura bitters work well here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: To start mixing, we add the Irish whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white and those aromatic bitters to a cocktail shaker (photo 1).
Step 2: Now we shake the mixture for 30 seconds (photo 2).
You’ll notice that we haven’t added ice at this point. With egg white cocktails, we first shake it without ice for 30 seconds, which is known as the dry shake. This allows the egg white to better incorporate with the other ingredients and make for a frothier topping.
Step 3: After the dry shake, we add ice cubes and shake the drink again for one minute for our wet shake (photo 3). Yes, this is a longer shake than most cocktails, but again, it helps develop the egg white topping.
Step 4: We’re now ready to strain the drink into our serving glass (photo 4).
Step 5: To complete our mixed drink, we add a lemon twist for the garnish (photo 5). While this step is optional, the lemon peel makes for a pretty presentation and adds a lovely fragrance with every sip. A maraschino cherry is another popular garnish option.
Just like that, our Irish sour is ready. Isn’t it tasty? You can't beat that smooth flavor with a pop of citrus.
And if you love sour cocktails, don’t miss these recipes.
How to Batch for a Party
If you’d like to batch the base of this drink, here’s how you can mostly prepare this recipe ahead of time. With the egg white, we can’t fully make this drink in a pitcher, but taking care of the drink’s base will still save you some time.
- Stir together the Irish whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters in a pitcher.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The fresh lemon juice won’t be quite as bright after a day.
- When you’re ready to serve, add ½ cup of the Irish whiskey mixture per drink to a cocktail shaker with one egg white and shake as originally directed. Most cocktail shakers should handle two drinks at a time.
You can find the full proportions in the notes section of the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
As outlined in the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, an authentic Irish whiskey is distilled in Ireland from a malted barley mash and cannot contain any additives beyond water and caramel coloring. Other cereal grains are acceptable, but they’re not required.
Additionally, Irish whiskey ages in wooden barrels for a minimum of three years. Irish whiskey is also known for being triple distilled, which is why it shows off such a smooth texture.
A sour glass is perfect. This type of glass comes with a curved rim that’s specifically designed to bring up the fragrance and slide the foam onto your tongue.
If you don’t have sour glasses, a coupe glass or even a rocks glass work.
For most people, egg whites come with a minimal risk as long as the eggs are properly handled. Use fresh eggs with no cracks and keep them in the coldest area of your refrigerator.
If you’re still worried, pasteurized eggs are a great option. Pasteurized eggs are heated in their shells before they hit the market to eliminate potential bacteria.
Variations and Substitutions
Looking to put a unique twist on this drink? Here are a few ways you can adjust the recipe to suit your needs.
- Use this recipe as a base for other types of whiskey sours, such as rye or bourbon.
- Likewise, it works with other spirits. Simply substitute the Irish whiskey for equal parts gin, vodka, tequila and the like.
- Add additional flavor with an infused syrup, such as cherry syrup, ginger syrup, chai syrup and raspberry syrup.
- Try an alternative sweetener, such as maple syrup.
- Give it an herbal touch by muddling your favorite fresh herb, such as a mint sprig, with simple syrup before mixing the rest of the drink.
- Swap the lemon juice for fresh lime juice.
- For a vegan substitute for the egg white, use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba, which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
Expert Tips
Opt for a mason jar for the dry shake: The pictured cocktail shaker has an inner rubber seal, which contains the dry shake. However, if you use a stainless steel cocktail shaker, the dry shake can get messy because stainless steel needs ice to create a seal. In that case, you’ll find it’s much less messy to dry shake in a mason jar with a solid lid and then transfer the mixture to your cocktail shaker for the wet shake.
Use a chilled cocktail glass: For drinks served straight up without ice, you’ll appreciate a chilled glass. To chill your glass, simply place it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes prior to mixing. If you forget, fill your glass with water and ice while you make your drink. Right before straining, stir the water and ice for 30 seconds, and you have a chilled glass.
Follow the shaking schedule: Yes, this drink calls for a longer shaking time than, say, a margarita. That’s because we want to get stable foam, and that takes time to develop.
Make the shake count: To get enough force behind your shake, use two hands and hold the shaker at an angle.
Perfect Pairing
Of course, what’s a St. Patrick’s Day meal without a Jameson cocktail and plenty of corned beef? For those who love outdoor cooking, this smoked corned beef is perfect.
No access to a smoker? That’s not a problem. Try this slow cooker corned beef instead.
If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll also love this Irish whiskey chocolate cake with a big scoop of Baileys ice cream. You’re in for one festive meal.
When you need some Irish cocktails for your St. Patrick's Day party, don't miss this Jameson whiskey sour recipe. You'll love that Irish spin on a classic cocktail.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Perfect Jameson Whiskey Sour
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Jigger or small measuring cup
- Citrus juicer
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Jameson Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup preferably homemade
- 1 fresh egg white
- 2-3 dashes angostura bitters
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add the Jameson Irish whiskey, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white and bitters to a cocktail shaker. Do not add ice yet.
- Secure the top and shake for 30 seconds. This is the dry shake.
- Remove the top and add ice to the cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for one minute. This is the wet shake.
- Strain into the serving glass.
- If desired, garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you use a fresh egg with no cracks, and keep it in the coldest part of your refrigerator. A pasteurized egg white is also a safe option.
- Instead of a raw egg white, you can use 2 tablespoons aquafaba, which is the liquid in a can of chickpeas. Alternatively, Fee Brothers offers a frothing product that replaces an egg white.
- Stainless steel cocktail shakers rely on ice to create a seal, so you have to be a careful while shaking to keep the drink from leaking. A mason jar with a solid lid eliminates that problem, and you can then use a cocktail shaker for the wet shake. I find cocktail shakers with a rubber lining don't have the same problem and stainless shakers.
- To chill the serving glass, place it in the freezer 15-30 minutes before serving. If you forget, you can fill it with water and ice cubes while you mix the drink. Before straining, stir the water and ice for about 30 seconds, pour out the contents, and you have a chilled glass.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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