Reminiscing about springtimes past and thinking about weddings present led to a Limoncello Rye Sour. It’s lemonade all grown up!
This post isn’t about St. Patrick’s Day
…or Irish whiskey, or Guinness (obviously). Rather, it’s about Spring. Upcoming. And past. This time of year is when I think about orange tree blossoms…they were blooming in our backyard when I brought my newborn daughter home for the first time. Just the smell alone transports me back being a new mom for the first time and holding my baby girl with her velvety smooth skin and soft downy head.** SIGH ** Good memories…
(hey, come back to us now!)
Ahem…as I was saying, I was thinking about Spring and orange tree blossoms, and I happened to notice the bottle of Limoncello I made for that no-longer-newborn daughter’s bridal shower last summer in the refrigerator door. Coincidentally, I had just seen a Pinterest post for a Limoncello Whiskey Sour, and I quickly decided that I needed to make one. A couple of points here…first, I generally don’t drink whiskey cocktails. Why cover up all the wonderful flavor whiskey has with other stuff? Sure, cocktails may have layers of dimensionality, but I’d rather just savor the whiskey itself, and leave the cocktails to other spirits that need it (I’m looking at you, vodka!). Second, I had a bottle of Spirit of York Rye Whiskey that my daughter and her new husband brought me from their honeymoon in Toronto, and I thought that this combination would be a nice homage to her birth, her growth, and her wedding by using it instead of straight whiskey. Friends, the Limoncello Rye Sour was born!
Below I’m giving you the recipe for my Limoncello Rye Sour and my tasting notes for it (this post is a mash up recipe/tasting then, huh). Yup, think of it as a two-fer. I’ve also included the recipe for the original Limoncello Whiskey Sour, so maybe it’s a three-fer instead. You’re welcome.
Limoncello Rye Sour
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 oz Spirit of York Rye Whiskey
- 2 oz homemade limoncello
- 1 oz lemon juice, from 1 lemon (or less, to taste)
- ice
Procedure
- Add ice to a shaker. Pour in the rye, limoncello, and lemon juice.
- Shake vigorously for about a minute. Strain into two rocks glasses with ice.
Recipe Notes
Limoncello Rye Sour Tasting
At home, March 9, 2019
Limoncello Rye Sour
Tasting Notes
- Nose: lightly lemon, cold, slight nutmeg
- Taste: starts tart, gets to “lemon head” sweetness, then nutmeg and caraway peek through
- Finish: lingering tartness, fades quickly
As promised, here’s the original recipe for you Whiskey Sour purists…
Limoncello Whiskey Sour
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 oz Manatawny Still Works Pennsylvania Whiskey
- 2 oz Pollyodd Limoncello
- 1 oz lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- splash club soda
- ice
- maraschino cherries and lemon wedges, for garnish
Procedure
- Add ice to a shaker. Pour in the whiskey, limoncello, and lemon juice.
- Shake vigorously for about a minute. Strain into two rocks glasses with ice.
- Top with club soda.
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry and lemon wedge.
My Limoncello Rye Sour could have been a little sweeter…maybe I put in too much lemon juice (or maybe I should just pay attention to the word, sour). Also, I didn’t have any seltzer in the house…would that cut the tartness a bit? I’ll have to try it. In any case, this drink is lemonade grown up, just like my daughter. That brings to mind the lemon tree from that same backyard, and the lemonade stands both my daughters used to have. ** SIGH ** Good memories…
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy