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    Home » Cocktails » Whiskey

    The Classic New York Whiskey Sour

    LAST UPDATED: January 9, 2020 PUBLISHED: January 9, 2020 By Pam Greer 11 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    A classic whiskey sour becomes a New York Sour with a float of red wine!  The combination of the red wine with the whiskey is amazing.  It adds a fruitiness and richness to the sour!  Whiskey, red wine, lemon juice and simple syrup are all you need to make this classic whiskey cocktail! 

    Cocktail glass filled with an orange cocktail topped with red wine.

     

    Classic Sour Cocktails

    Last week, I posted a New England Sour and talked about sour cocktails in general.   For the purposes of keeping it simple, a sour cocktail is usually made up of a liquor, a sour and a sweet.  

    With those three components, there is plenty of room for creativity and interpretation.  In last week's New England Sour Cocktail - the liquor was vodka, the sour was grapefruit juice and the sweet was maple syrup! 

    Today, I am back with a New York Sour Cocktail.  I have always thought it was a very pretty cocktail, but thought that the combination of red wine with whiskey sounded strange. 

    It's not.  It's delicious! 

    This cocktail takes the classic whiskey sour and adds a pretty red wine float on the top! 

     

    Rye whiskey, simple syrup, lemon, and boxed red wine.

    Ingredients to Make this Classic Whiskey Cocktail

    • Rye Whiskey - you can use rye whiskey or bourbon. 
    • Simple Syrup - we make a batch and keep it in the fridge.  It is just equal parts water and sugar heated over medium low heat and stirred until the sugar dissolves.  It will keep in the fridge for about a month.
    • Lemon - fresh squeezed lemon juice!  Save a slice for garnish.
    • Red Wine - we had some boxed Cabernet Sauvignon that we had bought for the holidays, so it was perfect. 

    Photo collage showing the rye whiskey and lemon juice being added to cocktail shaker.

    How to Make a New York Sour

    Pour two ounces of rye whiskey (or bourbon) into cocktail shaker.

    Add 1 ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice to the shaker. 

    Photo collage showing simple syrup and wine for a New York Sour.Add ½ ounce of simple syrup to the cocktail shaker. 

    Measure out ½ ounce of red wine for float, but don't add it to the cocktail shaker. 

    Photo collage showing cocktail in shaker and then in glass.

    Fill a rocks glass with ice.  Since we wanted the wine to easily float, we used crush ice, you can use regular ice also.  

    Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake for about 30 seconds.  Strain into cocktail glass over the crushed ice. 

    Photo collage showing red wine being poured over a spoon to float on top of cocktail.

    To float the wine, pour it slowly over the back of a spoon. 

    Garnish with a lemon slice and a maraschino cherry (I use my homemade cocktail cherries.)

    Two cocktail glasses filled with red wine topped whiskey sour.

    This is so good!  I mentioned above that I had always thought the cocktail was pretty, but that I thought the red wine sounded strange with the whiskey.  It's not strange at all, it's delicious!

    The red wine adds a fruity depth to the whiskey sour.  Try it, it might become your favorite whiskey sour! 

    More Delicious Whiskey Sour Cocktails

    • Blackberry Whiskey Sour
    • Blood Orange Whiskey Sour
    • Mango Habanero Whiskey Sour
    • Peach Bourbon Sour

    If you make this I would love it if you would leave a star rating!

    You can also follow me and tag me on Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook

    Cocktail glass filled with a New York Sour.
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    5 from 53 votes

    New York Sour Cocktail

    The New York Sour Cocktail is a fun twist on a classic whiskey sour! Just add a red wine float to your whiskey sour and you are good to go! Fruity, sweet and sour!
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes minutes
    Servings 1
    Calories 198kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 ounces rye whiskey or bourbon
    • 1 ounce lemon juice fresh squeezed
    • ½ ounce simple syrup
    • ½ ounce red wine to float
    • lemon wheel for garnish
    • Maraschino cherry for garnish

    Instructions

    • Add whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup to cocktail shaker.
    • Add ice to shaker (about ¾ full) and shake for 30 seconds.
    • Strain into an ice filled rocks glass.
    • Slowly pour the red wine over the back of a spoon on top of the cocktail, so that it floats.
    • Garnish with a lemon slice and maraschino cherry.

    Notes

    Can use bourbon or rye whiskey.
    Always use fresh squeezed lemon juice. 
    To make simple syrup - heat equal parts water and sugar over medium low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Store in fridge for up to a month.  I usually make a cup at a time (so 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.)

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin C: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Whiskey Cocktails

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      How to Make Orange Whiskey
    • Brown cocktail garnished with an orange peel in front of vintage books.
      How to Make a Classic Old Fashioned
    • Two cocktails glasses filled with a sparkling cocktail.
      How to Make a Japanese Highball
    • Photo collage of blackberry cocktails.
      9 Blackberry Cocktails that are Bursting with Flavor!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tay says

      April 11, 2024 at 11:57 pm

      I made this twice and for some reason can’t get the wine to float in top. It always goes to the bottom. Also seem to spill all over

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        April 15, 2024 at 9:57 am

        Did you pour it over the back of a spoon, like was suggested? That's what works for me.

        Reply
      • Darren says

        June 23, 2024 at 11:14 am

        I have found that if the wine is cold it will not float on top of the cocktail. Try using wine that is room temperature and see if that works.

        Reply
    2. Amanda says

      January 24, 2021 at 6:41 pm

      5 stars
      AMAZING WINTER DRINK!!! Cheers to football!

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 29, 2021 at 10:19 am

        It is!

        Reply
    3. Elaine says

      August 24, 2020 at 8:28 pm

      5 stars
      Great bourbon drink. Love the twist with the red wine!

      Reply
    4. Toni says

      January 09, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      5 stars
      This is just amazing! Perfect to enjoy this weekend!

      Reply
    5. Tonje says

      January 09, 2020 at 2:32 pm

      5 stars
      Red wine on a whiskey sour? Totally sounds like something I would love! Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
    6. Dannii says

      January 09, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      It has been a long day. I could totally go one of those right now.

      Reply
    7. Emmeline says

      January 09, 2020 at 1:35 pm

      5 stars
      Love this idea! I love whiskey sours but never had one topped with red wine. I have a feeling it will be JUST my type of cocktail though!

      Reply
    8. Julie says

      January 09, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      So fancy! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    5 from 53 votes (46 ratings without comment)

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    Pam Greer from Sidewalk Shoes

    Hi, I'm Pam. I'm the person who plans whole vacations around where to eat and drink. Beautiful scenery is optional.

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