NA Whiskey Sour

A zero-proof Whiskey Sour with all the tart-sweet balance of the classic — NA whiskey, fresh lemon, simple syrup, and a silky egg-white foam.

The Whiskey Sour is one of the most durably popular cocktails in the American canon, with the drink first documented by name in 1870 in a Waukesha, Wisconsin newspaper. The sour formula itself — base spirit, lemon or lime juice, sweetener — had been codified in American bartending manuals by Jerry Thomas, whose foundational 1862 guide How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon Vivant's Companion established the structural logic that sour drinks follow. Egg white became a common addition in the late 19th century, producing the frothy, pillowy texture that distinguishes the deluxe version, and the practice continues in contemporary bars where the white is dry-shaken before ice is added to maximize foam. The Whiskey Sour has remained one of the ten most-ordered cocktails in American bars across virtually every era of drinking history since its documentation, surviving Prohibition as a homemade formula and re-emerging after repeal as a staple of mid-century cocktail culture. The non-alcoholic version became meaningfully viable as the NA spirit category developed from roughly 2019 onward, with brands like Ritual Zero Proof, Spiritless Kentucky 74, and CleanCo creating whiskey alternatives with the grain depth, oak notes, and moderate sweetness needed to hold their own against fresh citrus without relying on sugar alone to provide the drink's body. The foam from egg white or aquafaba (chickpea water, the vegan alternative) is equally achievable in the NA version, making the visual and textural experience faithful to the original.