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Classic Gin Sour Recipe

Name: Classic Gin Sour Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 cocktail
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 ounces gin; ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice; ¾ ounce simple syrup; ½ ounce egg white; Maraschino cherry, for garnish; Lemon slice, for garnish

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jan 17, 2026 • 1 min read

The Gin Sour is a classic mixed drink consisting of gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. The "sour" in the name is a reference to the lemon juice, but the simple syrup in this recipe balances out the flavor nicely to ensure that it still has the ideal amount of sweetness.

Sours are a family of cocktails that contain liquor, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener. Gin Sours often include an egg white, which is used in sour cocktails to produce a thicker, frothier drink.

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Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe

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makes

1 cocktail

prep time

5 min

total time

5 min

Ingredients

1
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a cocktail shaker without ice cubes and shake well for at least 15 seconds. This technique is known as a "dry shake" and allows the egg white to mix better with the other ingredients, and helps create a frothier consistency for your finished cocktail.
2
Add ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake well again, this time until chilled.
3
Strain into an ice-filled cocktail glass, rocks glass, or coupe glass.
4
Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a slice of lemon. For an even more elegant look, try making a spiral lemon twist.

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