Whiskey Sour Dewars 12

The first mention of the whiskey sour was in 1862 from The Bartenders Guide by Jerry Thomas. However, it’s likely that people were drinking whiskey sours long before this. Like so many spirits and cocktails, we can thank sailors for this delicious cocktail.

Traveling by sea was difficult in the 1800s. It was particularly difficult to find clean, fresh water on long voyages, making whiskey, rum and other spirits very popular with sailors. In addition to the lack of clean water, many sailors suffered from scurvy, a potentially fatal disease that was caused, in part, by a lack of vitamin C.

Enter the lemon.

Sailors would take huge amounts of lemons, limes and oranges on voyages. They would also bring alcohol, and the best alcohol was kept at room temperature, like whiskey and bourbon.

The whiskey sour was a perfect combination of citrus, to combat scurvy, and whiskey to quench the sailor’s thirst.