The only cocktail I ever remember my grandmother drinking was a whiskey sour. The only occasion was while dining at Hoak's Restaurant, a longstanding, lakefront restaurant in Hamburg, New York. The drink became special to me through nostalgia.
The original appeal of my grandmother's whiskey sour came from the slice of orange and the maraschino cherry. As I grew older and even more attracted to bright, shiny objects, I grew to love the drink for the vintage cocktail shaker it arrived in.
Hoak's was a homely fish-fry place. In contrast, 
it seemed glamorous for your drink to come to the table in a tall shaker with the rocks glass on the side. You strained your own cocktail, and the drink stayed cold and refreshing. To this day, I am disappointed when a whiskey sour arrives without the shaker – not that I order the drink often. And therein lies the problem. It is time for a whiskey sour renaissance.
The whiskey sour is the granddaddy of the Family Sour – mixed drinks that have a base liquor, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener. This balance of sweet and sour should sound familiar. Many modern, more popular drinks are based on it. The margarita, for one, in which the sweetener is triple sec.
Recently, in honor of my grandmother, I ordered a whiskey sour at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room in Princeton, New Jersey. It was the anniversary of her death, also the anniversary of her birth. In a most Jeffersonian way, she passed away on her birthday. A woman as wise as Jefferson in many ways, she had good taste when it comes to cocktails.
The whiskey sour has a long, lovely history. It is one of the original drinks in the iconic Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide from 1862. Looking even further back, the lowly whiskey sour appears to have been the official drink of the 184-year-old Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at the University of Virginia, the oldest continuously existing collegiate debating club. Member Edgar Allen Poe probably was a fan of the whiskey sour, although later in life, poor guy, he may have called for a whiskey sour, hold the lemon, hold the sugar.
I imagine the drink is no longer the official drink of UVA debating. Think of how entertaining a college debate could be, however, when under the influence of its "official drink."
Article comments
1 - Audrey
Do you know, despite its classification as "our grandma's drink", it happens to be the favorite of my dear childhood friend, Laura, who has been devoted to it ever since we first klinked glasses to enjoy our first ever cocktail? One needn't be too concerned about enjoying one's grandmother's choice of beverage...these women were class acts all, hardened by the Depression, made tougher still by WWII to say nothing of the fact that life could be really, really tough in those pre-feminist days! I'd say we should all raise a glass, whiskey sour, or otherwise to our grandmas...they'd be glad we did! (Oh, and my grandmother's favorite was a gimlet...any chance you'd be interested in taking up its cause??
Great piece, Kate!
2 - Daniel Terracina
I enjoyed a whiskey sour on my 21st birthday a few weeks ago. I was definitely already a few sheets to the wind at that point, but I remember that it was a very good cocktail. Great article.
3 - Kate
Well, Happy Birthday Daniel! At 21, you are definitely my targeted demographic!
4 - knitlit kate
now that i think about it, the whiskey sour may actually be the inspiration behind a childhood fave of mine, the kiddie cocktail. although a couple of orders of those today would likely bring on cries of "out you two pixies go, tru da door or out da window!" hee haw and great story from one of your biggest fans!