NO. 1039 · A CLASSIC HOUSE SPEC
New York Sour
A rye sour beneath a ruby wine float. A little theatre, carefully measured.
- The glass
- Rocks glass
- The method
- Shaken
- With ingredients ready
- 3 min · Easy
Our house measures and instructions. No tasting by The Drink Place has been recorded.
What this means
- Recipe basis
- Ingredient reference: International Bartenders Association. Our house measures may differ.
- Preparation
- Complete measured ingredients and instructions. No individual editorial method review is recorded.
- House tasting
- Not recorded. A reference, editorial review, or AI photograph does not establish a taste test.

THE QUIET PREPARATION
Before the first pour.
with ingredients ready
Set out rocks glass for each drink. Keep the tools and prepared ingredients within reach.
- Jigger or graduated measure
- Cocktail shaker
- Cocktail strainer
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Citrus juicer
- Peeler
- Kitchen scale
PREPARE FIRST, OR USE THE SAME PREPARED INGREDIENT
Simple syrup (1:1)Prepare and cool before mixing
Simple syrup (1:1) — dissolve 100 g white sugar in 100 g hot water. Cool, bottle, and refrigerate.
These are preparation ratios. Make enough for the measured drink quantities; cooling time and final yield are not included in the mixing time.
- Squeeze the citrus and measure its juice before you start. Keep the listed garnish aside.
A PROPER POUR BEGINS HERE
The ingredients.
- 60 ml
- 22.5 ml
- 30 ml
- 20 ml
- 15 ml
- 1
- 1
Exact measures for one drink. Fresh ice is part of the method.
US fluid ounces convert the exact milliliter specification and round to three decimal places.
A LITTLE CEREMONY
The method.
Prepare your glass
Set out a clean rocks glass for each serving. Add 120 g of fresh cubed ice to each glass just before pouring.
Measure into your shaker
Measure one serving of rye, lemon juice, syrup, and pasteurized egg white into the shaker. Keep the red wine and garnishes aside.
Shake with confidence
Measure the still ingredients first. Add the recipe’s mixing ice, seal the shaker, and hold both parts firmly. Shake for the stated time. Keep bubbles and garnish outside the shaker.
Build the foam
Seal the shaker without ice. Shake the measured ingredients firmly for one serving to combine the pasteurized egg white with the other liquids. Hold any float, garnish, and sparkling ingredients aside.
Shake with confidence
Measure the still ingredients first. Add the recipe’s mixing ice, seal the shaker, and hold both parts firmly. Shake for the stated time. Keep bubbles and garnish outside the shaker.
Keep the bubbles lively
Measure sparkling ingredients separately. Add them at the point stated in the recipe, then lift or stir gently if directed. Never shake carbonated ingredients in a sealed shaker.
Shake until properly cold
Use one serving of the measured ingredients per batch. Add 180 g cubed ice and seal the shaker. Shake firmly until the outside feels very cold. Repeat with fresh mixing ice for each serving.
Shake with confidence
Measure the still ingredients first. Add the recipe’s mixing ice, seal the shaker, and hold both parts firmly. Shake for the stated time. Keep bubbles and garnish outside the shaker.
Strain and finish
Use a cocktail strainer and a fine-mesh sieve to pour into the prepared rocks glass. Slowly pour the reserved measured red wine over the back of a spoon onto the strained sour, forming a separate layer. Leave the wine float unstirred. Add the measured garnish and serve immediately.
Use two strainers
Hold the mixing ice back with the cocktail strainer. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve held above the serving glass; it catches small ice chips and fruit or herb fragments.
Technique reference ↗Pour a gentle float
Hold the back of a spoon close to the drink’s surface. Pour the measured float slowly over it. Leave it undisturbed when the recipe says not to stir.


