Jerry Thomas' Own Apricot Sour

A sour from the age of the bartender as author

Jerry Thomas published the first bartender’s manual in 1862 and left his name on a handful of drinks, this apricot sour among them. It belongs to the era when a sour meant spirit, sugar, citrus and often egg white, and it is a good test of a bar because nothing in the glass can be hidden.

Apricot brandy, and what that name covers

Two ounces of apricot brandy is the base. The label covers two very different bottles: a sweet apricot liqueur at around 25% ABV, and an eau-de-vie distilled from the fruit at 40% or more with no sugar at all. The liqueur is what the historic recipes assume; a dry eau-de-vie needs more syrup and a lighter hand with the lemon. Read the label before you pour.

The sour formula

One ounce of fresh lemon against half an ounce of simple syrup is a two-to-one sour, dry for a modern palate and correct for this drink, because apricot is sweet enough on its own. Fresh lemon is not negotiable: the whole point of a sour is the edge that acid gives the fruit.

The egg white, done properly

Add the white of one egg and shake it first without ice for fifteen seconds. That dry shake is what builds a stable foam. Add ice and shake a second time for twelve seconds, then pour the mix through a tea strainer into the chilled glass, so no stray albumen lands in the drink. Twist a lemon peel over the top. If egg white puts you off, aquafaba from a tin of chickpeas whips almost as well.

Strength

Roughly 20% ABV in the glass and about 210 calories, most of them from the liqueur.

Common mistakes

• Shaking with ice first, which thins the white and kills the foam.
• Squeezing the lemon hours ahead, which flattens its aroma.
• Skipping the dry shake because it seems fussy; the texture is half the drink.

Variations

An Apricot Fizz lengthens it with soda water. A Golden Sour splits the base between apricot brandy and bourbon.

What if you cannot use raw egg?

Aquafaba from a tin of chickpeas whips to a similar head. The drink simply loses a little of its silkiness.

Is apricot brandy the same as apricot liqueur?

Often, yes, on a supermarket shelf. Look at the ABV: anything near 40% is a distillate rather than a liqueur, and the recipe needs adjusting.