Virgin Whiskey Sour mocktail recipe
A pale-gold lemon sour with black-tea depth and a properly built aquafaba cap.
Method: Shake · Glass: Coupe glass · Time: 5 minutes · Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 2 oz strong chilled black tea
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz 2:1 demerara syrup
- ¾ oz aquafaba
- 2 dashes alcohol-free aromatic bitters
How to make it
- Add the tea, lemon, syrup, aquafaba and bitters to a shaker without ice.
- Dry shake hard for 15 seconds to build a tight foam.
- Add firm ice and shake again for 12 to 15 seconds until the tin is cold.
- Fine strain into a chilled coupe.
- Express a lemon peel over the foam and discard or rest it on the rim.
Garnish
One expressed lemon peel
Why this balance works
Black tea gives this sour a dry, lightly astringent centre so lemon and sugar do not sit by themselves. Rich demerara syrup adds enough weight for the foam to feel luxurious without making the drink syrupy. Keep the lemon fresh and precise: if it is unusually sharp, make the correction with a bar spoon of syrup, not by weakening it with extra tea.
Technique to keep
Aquafaba needs a two-stage shake. The dry shake lets it trap air before melting ice can thin the mixture; the second shake chills it and tightens that foam. Use firm ice for the wet shake and fine strain at the end, otherwise small ice shards can break the surface. The result should be a clean, pale foam cap rather than large unstable bubbles.
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