Shamrock Sour
The perfect St. Patrick's Day closer — Irish whiskey shaken with two citrus juices and a cloud of egg white foam, naturally green and thoroughly delicious.
- 2 ozirish whiskey
- ¾ ozfresh lemon juice
- ½ ozfresh lime juice
- ½ ozsimple syrup
- 1 wholeegg white
- Lime wheel, fresh shamrock or mint spriggarnish
- 1Combine the Irish whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker — no ice yet.
- 2Seal the shaker and dry shake vigorously for 15 seconds to emulsify the egg white and build foam.
- 3Add a full scoop of ice and shake again for another 15 seconds until very cold.
- 4Double strain through both a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer into a chilled coupe glass.
- 5The foam will rise to the surface naturally. Garnish with a lime wheel and a small sprig of mint or fresh shamrock.
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The Shamrock Sour is a modern St. Patrick's Day cocktail that applies the whiskey sour template to Irish whiskey. While it has no single documented origin date, it gained widespread popularity in the 2010s as bartenders and home cocktail enthusiasts began creating holiday-specific riffs on classic cocktail formats. The name ties it firmly to Ireland through both the shamrock — the three-leafed clover that is a national symbol of Ireland — and the Irish whiskey base. Using two citrus juices (lemon and lime) gives it a more complex sourness than a standard whiskey sour, while egg white adds the silky, layered foam that makes it a striking visual drink for St. Patrick's Day social media content.
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Everything you need to make a great Shamrock Sour at home.
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