From-Scratch Whiskey Sours Recipe

I wrote about the progressive happy hour we had in our neighborhood on Christmas Night {here}, and the whiskey sours that my husband made for our guests were so good (and I don’t even like whiskey or bourbon!) that I wanted to share the recipe.

First, everything is better when it’s made from scratch…if you have the time! My hubby decided to leave the bottled sour mix on the shelf and make his own, and–yum!

Here’s the recipe, adapted from Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa):

He made the simple syrup and juiced the lemons and limes ahead of time and put them in the fridge to chill. We usually have simple syrup in the fridge–it’s a bar staple, plus he uses it to make his famous mojitos. We also made dozens of these giant ice cubes ahead of time and put them in the freezer in a big plastic bag:

Why the giant, square ice cubes? Well, they’re pretty cool to look at (which I like), plus they seem to melt more slowly than regular ice cubes, so they don’t dilute your drink (which he likes). I bought this silicone tray at Amazon, but I’ve also seen them at Home Goods. Here’s the link to the one I bought:

A few hours before party time, hubby mixed up whisky sours (for 30!) in a couple of large plastic jugs. I, of course, wanted him to dispense said drink out of my really cute glass urn, but he wanted something he could shake with ice and pour. I gave in, gracefully, to function over form (heavy sigh!). In appreciation for this graciousness, he went with my idea for the presentation: mason jar, one slice of orange, one huge ice cube, garnish with a maraschino cherry and a paper straw. Oh, and our super-cool napkins, of course!