Whiskey Sour

A whiskey sour is a mixed drink containing 1 1/2 ounces of either bourbon or rye whiskey, 3/4 of an ounce of fresh lemon juice and 3/4 of an ounce of a mixture of equal parts water and sugar.  

On the rare occasions in my youth when my parents played hosts and a mixed drink was called for, this is how we made whiskey sours: empty a can of frozen lemonade into a pitcher, add 1 can of rye whiskey and 1 can of water.  Stir and pour. 

Based upon my limited experience with mixed drinks, a whiskey sour became my favorite cocktail when I became an adult.  Whenever we went to a restaurant and/or someone suggested an alcoholic beverage, I would ask for a whiskey sour.  Almost never a beer and never a glass of wine.

This all changed one day in 1991.  My ex-wife Bonita, my daughter Rachel, my son Bret and I were in Ithaca, one of the loveliest towns in upstate New York, near Lake Cayuga, one of the Finger Lakes.  We were there to visit Cornell University, which I believe has the most beautiful college campus in America.

We were visiting Cornell as part of an important task, on behalf of my teenage daughter, to visit various campuses of the colleges she was considering applying to.  By actually being on a campus (as opposed to reading about it or seeing pictures of it), she could make a better decision when the time came as to which college she would choose.

I had been to Cornell twice before.  In 1964 and 1966, as a Penn student, I went there for football games at Schoellkopf Field between the two Ivy League rivals.  Neither game ended well.

On this visit in 1991, we drove about 240 miles from our home in New York City to Ithaca.  After touring the campus, which made a good impression on all, we looked for a restaurant in town where we could have dinner.  We chose Joe's Italian Restaurant because we all love Italian food.

While waiting for our dinners, I ordered a whiskey sour.  It was the most delicious whiskey sour I had ever had in my life.  So, I ordered a second one.  Big mistake!

By the end of our dinner at Joe's, I was drunk.  Walking from the restaurant to our car required assistance from both Bonita and Rachel.  Needless to say, I did not drive back to our motel.  I needed to sleep it off.

As a result of this experience, I avoided whiskey sours for more than 25 years.  Recently, my wife Cristina and I were in a restaurant here in Sao Paulo and I saw whiskey sour on a list of cocktails available.  I became nostalgic.  As Cristina had never had one, we shared a whiskey sour.  It brought back memories of Joe's Italian Restaurant in Ithaca.  This time I did not order a second.