Mezcal Sour

The mezcal sour is a spin on the classic sour cocktail! It’s smoky and sweet tart, starring lime, Cointreau, and a foamy topping.

Calling all Mezcal lovers! Here’s a fun way to use this agave-based liquor: the Mezcal Sour! This spin on the classic Pisco Sour is smoky and nuanced. It’s balance with a light, sweet tart body and a frothy egg white foam top. Top it with a shake of bitters and it’s the perfect drink for anyone who loves a bit of smoke! We’ve made lots of mezcal cocktails like the spins on the Margarita and Paloma, so it was fun to try this unique spin on another classic.

Ingredients in mezcal sour

The mezcal sour is a spin on the classic pisco sour and whiskey sour. These classic sour cocktails have three parts: liquor, citrus, and sweetener. The whiskey sour dates back to the 1880’s, and the pisco sour spin came about in the 1920’s. In the 1920’s, sours often had an egg white foam on top, which adds a frothy texture and creamy body to the drink.

To make a mezcal sour, use mezcal instead of pisco or whiskey. But we added another ingredient for our spin on this recipe: Cointreau (or Triple Sec)! Mezcal has a very straightforward smoky flavor that often needs some counterbalancing from a secondary liqueur. So adding an orange liqueur similar to a margarita lends citrus and floral notes to the drink that balance the smoke. Here’s what you’ll need for this mezcal sour recipe:

• Mezcal
• Lime juice
• Cointreau (or Triple Sec)
• Simple syrup
• Egg white
• Angostura bitters, for the garnish

More about Mezcal

Mezcal lends an intensely smoky flavor to everything it touches. Here’s what to know about this unique liquor:

• Mezcal is a type of alcohol made from the agave plant. It’s actually a category that includes tequila, but tequila is made from a specific type called blue agave. Mezcal can be made from 11 different varieties of agave. Read more at Mezcal vs Tequila
• How is mezcal made? It gets its signature smoky flavor by cooking the agave in pits in the ground.
• How much does mezcal cost? A bottle of mezcal on average costs between $20 and $40, but high end brands can cost much more. Head to The Best Mezcal at Any Price for more.

How to make a mezcal sour

The mezcal sour is quick and easy to make: the only time involved is juicing the citrus and separating out the egg white! Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipebelow):

1. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds without ice.
2. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake again for 30 seconds.
3. Strain into a glass and garnish.

A “dry shake” makes the best egg white foam

Bartenders have added egg whites to cocktails since the 1860’s to add a frothy texture to the top and a creamy rich flavor to each sip. You can make the best frothy egg white foam using what’s called a dry shake: shaking the cocktail ingredients without ice first. Here’s how it works:

• The first shake without ice lets the protein in the egg begin to form foam, instead of being diluted by the ice.
• The second shake with ice cools the drink and strengthens the foam. Strain it into the glass and you’ll get a thick, white frothy layer.

Tips for making bitters designs

The last step for a mezcal sour is to shake some cocktail bitters on top! The design we chose for this cocktail is similar to a pisco sour: it’s common that bartenders make fancy designs with bitters on the top of the egg white foam. Here’s how to make a heart shaped pattern:

• Gently shake 1 small dots on the top of the egg white foam.
• Use a toothpick or stir stick to gently draw a line through it to make a heart shape.

More mezcal cocktails

And that’s it! Let us know if you try this mezcal sour in the comments below. After you’ve made it, try one of our other favorite mezcal drinks:

• Go for a Mezcal Margarita
• Grab a fruity Mezcal Paloma
• Opt for a Mezcal Negroni
• Mix it with ginger beer for a Mezcal Mule
• Make a Oaxaca Old Fashioned (with Mezcal)

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Mezcal Margarita

02

Mezcal Paloma

03

Mezcal Negroni

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Top 10 Mezcal Cocktails

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