ADVANCED MIXOLOGY
BARTENDER KNOW-HOW
Tips to
Crafting th e
Perfect Sour
By Tyler Zielinski
Sours
—DEFINED BY A BLEND OF A BASE SPIRIT, ACID OR CITRUS, SUGAR, AND OCCASIONALLY EGG WHITE—ARE EASY TO MAKE, BUT DIFFICULT TO PERFECT. A SLIGHT OVERPOUR OF ONE ELEMENT IN THIS SIMPLE FORMULA, AND YOU CAN KISS THE ENTIRE BALANCE OF YOUR COCKTAIL GOODBYE. THEREFORE, MANY COCKTAIL CRITICS USE THE DAIQUIRI (A RUM SOUR) AS ONE OF THE FEW LITMUS TESTS WHEN EVALUATING A BARTENDER’S ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE COCKTAILS—THE SOUR ISN’T VERY FORGIVING, AND IT SHOWCASES A BARTENDER’S UNDERSTANDING OF BALANCE BETWEEN SUGAR AND CITRUS ACID. THE SECRET TO CREATING A PERFECT SOUR IS DEPENDENT ON AN ARRAY OF FACTORS. TO HELP GUIDE BARTENDERS TOWARD CRAFTING THE PERFECT SOUR, WHETHER IT BE A BEE’S KNEES, GOLD RUSH, OR THE LIKE, HERE ARE KEY THINGS TO CONSIDER.
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