Papa Hemingway Whiskey Sour: New England Style
A Modern Seasonal Twist on a Classic Literary Cocktail
"Never delay kissing a pretty girl or opening a bottle of whiskey" - Ernest Hemingway
The Whiskey Sour is an incredibly underrated cocktail. In its original state, made correctly, is something of pure greatness. Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald guzzled Whiskey Sours endlessly when they were expats over in Paris in the 1920s, often at the The Dingo Bar, during a time in which the two writers would produce some of their best work.
Hemingway talked about the nostalgic experience in his personal memoir of Paris, A Moveable Feast, and fans now speculate that much of his first novel The Sun Also Rises , was based on the people he met and places he frequented in Paris during that time. When Hemingway first met Fitzgerald in Paris, The Great Gatsby (which is arguably considered to be the Great American Novel) had just been published, causing reason to celebrate with, take a guess — plenty of Whiskey Sours, as this established Fitzgerald as a heavyweight up-and-coming writer to pay attention to in the literary world.
This Whiskey Sour cocktail is enduring, as are both Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and is a tribute to them, as well as the changing of the seasons in New England.
Please remember to enjoy responsibly, ideally with a copy of The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, or a compiled list of all of Hemingway's favorite cocktails — and believe me, it is comprehensive and complex, just like the man himself: To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion.
Papa Hemingway Whiskey Sour — New England Style Recipe
Equipment
1.5 ounces of Buffalo Trace (or any high quality Bourbon)
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup (high quality, real New England style - (not Mrs. Butterworth's)
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (buy a fresh lemon and squeeze it yourself)
Gentlemen's Whiskey Glass
Lemon Juice Squeezer
Jigger or Measuring Cup
Ice
Peeler
3 drops of Angostura Bitters (Optional)
Peel from lemon as a garnish (use it to wipe the rim of glass)
Instructions
Place a Gentlemen's Whiskey glass in the freezer for 5 minutes
Grab maple syrup and place in freezer for two minutes
Procure high-quality bourbon (Buffalo Trace is my go-to)
Squeeze fresh lemon juice (using lemon squeezer)
Grab some Angostura Bitters
Combine bourbon, fresh lemon juice, chilled maple syrup, and bitters. Shake in shaker until chilled. Strain into the chilled glass. Add a single square or circular cube (if possible; if not regular ice will suffice). Drizzle a small amount of maple syrup on top, as well as garnish with the peel of the lemon
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As we approach some colder mornings, I will leave you with this poignant quote from Fitzgerald:
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
See you in November — until then — cheers!
—Brendan, Modern Renaissance Man
Brendan Martin Coyne is an award-winning writer, voracious reader, avid outdoorsman, artisan woodcarver, hack gardener, and scratch cook. In his spare time, he is a novice hunter, mediocre fisherman, bourbon enthusiast, and loves anything to do with a beach or being immersed in nature with his family.