The Perfect Whiskey Sour

The proper form of the Whiskey Sour is one part whiskey, two parts sour mix, and two parts orange juice. But even with these proportions, the sour mix is the key. And the store bought sour mixes just don't make a proper drink.

Fortunately, making a sour mix is easy, and it keeps (refridgerated) for more than long enough to use it all. To make the sour mix, combine equal parts lemon juice and sugar in a microwaveable container. Cover, and heat. You don't want it to boil, you want it to be hot enough to disolve the Ume.

The Ume. The mystical ingredient for making proper sour mixes. The Ume is an alkaline, very tart, Japanese plum. If you scour the local Health Food stores, you should be able to find some concentrated Ume. I use Eden Concentrated Ume, a small jar of highly concentrated plums (I believe they concentrate 1 kg into 50 grams). Taking a butter knife (Ume concentrate is awfully stiff when refridgerated), take a knife tipful (more or less depending on how much sour mix you are making), and blend it into the hot lemon juice and sugar mix. Taste, and if it is too acidic (and remember, you are going to be mixing it with whiskey and orange juice), add more Ume to taste. Pour the mixture into containers and refridgerate, and the sour mix is ready to go.

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Dave Weinstein
olorin@sff.net