Tequila Sour
The tequila sour — and sour cocktails in general — are classic drinks to add to your repertoire. The citrus-forward ingredients balance well with any type of tequila, whether you’re mixing with blanco or extra añejo.
7 minutes
1 cocktail
Beginner
Ingredients
- 2 ounces tequila*
- ½ ounce lime juice (about 2 lime wedges)
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar or simple syrup
- 1 egg white*
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Cherry (optional)
- Lime wedge (optional)
Instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker with the tequila, lemon and lime juices, simple syrup, bitters and egg white. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Cool the cocktail down by adding ice and shake for 30 more seconds. Strain into a glass, then garnish with a cherry and lime wedge.
*We make our tequila sours with mix to tequila. To veganize this cocktail, swap the egg white for 2 tablespoons of aquafaba. Aqua what, you ask? It’s the very versatile liquid from a can of chickpeas that foams up like an egg white.
Make it look totally sweet by making a Unicorn Tequila Sour →
What is the “sour” in a tequila sour?
A sour is a family of cocktails that include a sour element as one of the main ingredients. Common sours are the whiskey sour, tom collins, gin sour, gin rickey, margarita and paloma. Even the old-fashioned is a sour. So what type of elements can make a drink a sour? A cocktail is considered a sour if it has liquor, lime or lemon juice and a sweetener. The “sour” part comes from the citrus, and you’ll often see a good amount of lemon or lime juice in a sour. Some sours, like the tequila sour, also include an egg white to achieve the classic frothy layer at the top of the glass.