This Spicy Raspberry Whiskey Sour is slightly sweet, slightly sour, and slightly spicy. It's the perfect Valentine's Day cocktail, but a delicious drink all year round!
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I have a thing against raspberry-flavored alcohol. It goes back to my college days and I'm sure I could launch into a whole long story about dorm room parties and hockey games and raspberry vodka, but it's really not important.
The important thing is that more than 15 years after I turned 21 I still can't drink raspberry-flavored alcohol. But fresh raspberries with alcohol? That's a whole different story. In fact, there's really not much I wouldn't love fresh raspberries with.
Oh, and don't even get me started on whiskey sours. For the longest time, I thought they were so gross. But guess why? Because the whiskey sours you get in college are packed with sugar from sour mix and are sickeningly sweet and fake tasting. Homemade whiskey sours are a game changer.
And homemade spicy raspberry whiskey sours are a life changer. This cocktail is changing everything I thought I knew about my drink preferences. And I'm loving every second of it!
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
This raspberry whiskey sour involves all the elements of a fabulous cocktail: sweet, sour, and spicy. But the best part? This sour cocktail is super easy to make! OK, and the color is pretty fabulous, too.
If you love the flavor of fresh raspberries and whisky cocktails, this is definitely the drink for you! OK, so you have to like a little bit of a kick in your cocktails, too.
Don't worry, this raspberry whiskey sour isn't too spicy, but the jalapeño gives it the most delightful little kick that I think most people will really appreciate.
🗒 Ingredients
This raspberry whiskey sour is pretty simple, but before you shake it up, you'll need to make a raspberry simple syrup. But don't worry, you don't need to many ingredients. For the cocktail, you'll need:
- Whiskey
- Lime juice
- Raspberry simple syrup
- Jalapeño slices
- Egg white
And for the simple syrup:
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Raspberries
👩🍳 How to make raspberry simple syrup
As implied by the name, this raspberry simple syrup is simple to make... Plus, you can can do it in advance and store it in your fridge for a few weeks. I have a full post devoted to the recipe, but will give you the instructions below, too.
All you do is bring water, sugar, and fresh raspberries to a boil in a saucepan.
Then lower heat to a simmer and let thicken for about 10 minutes.
Then you'll press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (pressing down on the raspberries to extract as much juice as possible) and store in a mason jar or other airtight container.
🥃 How to make a spicy raspberry whiskey sour
And now you're ready to shake up your spicy raspberry whiskey sour! Simply put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes and shake away!
Note that one of the ingredients in this raspberry whiskey sour is an egg white. The purpose of egg whites in cocktails is to add a nice creaminess and frothy foam to the drink.
Of course, you can leave the raw egg white out, but it really does help enhance the whiskey sour and I promise that it doesn't alter the taste of the drink at all!
Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass... I like to use these coupe glasses. You could also use old-fashioned glasses.
I love adding a little fresh raspberry garnish to these cocktails.
My arrow cocktail picks are so perfect for Valentine's Day, but I most definitely use them all year-round. Mine are from West Elm, but they're no longer available, but here's a similar set.
Like I mentioned, this drink is the perfect flavor combination. The raspberry simple syrup makes the cocktail sweet, but not overly so. The fresh lime juice adds a nice sour kick.
And the jalapeño is just enough to add a little spice, but definitely not in an overpowering way. Even if you're not typically a spicy fan, you'll love this!
And, of course, the gorgeous color makes it the most perfect Valentine's Day cocktail. If you're not into whiskey, you could always make the raspberry simple syrup and use it in a vodka-based drink. You can even just add it to some seltzer water with some lime juice and jalapeño rounds for a fun nonalcoholic beverage.
I basically want to make these spicy raspberry whiskey sours any time I see fresh raspberries on sale. Which sadly isn't often enough.
🍹 What kind of whiskey should I use?
You can really use any kind of whiskey you want! When it comes to whisky sours, bourbon whiskey is always a good choice, but rye whiskey also works well.
Some people also prefer Irish whiskey, but note that this will make your cocktail a bit sweeter. They do make raspberry bourbon, too, and you can use this for an extra fruity twist if you'd like!
Lastly, if you're not a whiskey fan, you can try gin instead! It will obviously be a gin sour instead of a whiskey sour, but will be absolutely delicious!
🍋 Can I use lemon instead of lime?
You can! I love the raspberry and lime combination so much, but you can replace the lime juice with fresh lemon juice if you want.
💘 More Valentine's Day drinks
If you're looking for more great Valentine's Day cocktails or mocktails, I have a few super fun options. Some of my favorites include:
- Strawberry Vanilla Love Potion Cocktail
- Pink Peppercorn Strawberry Sipper
- Bubblegum Cocktail
- Sweet Tart Shots
- Rock Candy Cocktail
- Blueberry Coconut Margarita
- Strawberry Coconut Daiquiri
- Strawberry Acai Refresher
- Homemade Starbucks Pink Drink
- Rose White Hot Chocolate
- Fresh Strawberry Milk
- Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
- Raspberry Champagne Floats (from Simple Sips)
These Rosé Sour Patch Kids also make fun gifts!
But though great for Valentine's Day, these spicy raspberry whiskey sours are amazing any time of year. In fact, the red and green make this a wonderful Christmas cocktail
And if you put blueberries on the cocktail picks, you can serve these as 4th of July drinks.
Yes, I will use any excuse to make these cocktails! Can you blame me?? I'm just so thankful college didn't totally ruin raspberries in cocktails and whiskey sours for me!
Are there any alcoholic beverages you need to have made over so you can fall in love with them again?
📖 Recipe
Spicy Raspberry Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. whiskey
- 1 oz. lime juice
- 1 oz. raspberry simple syrup (recipe below)
- 3 jalapeño slices, plus more for garnish
- 1 egg white
- Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Raspberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add whiskey, lime juice, raspberry syrup, jalapeño slices, and egg white. Shake well and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Raspberry Simple Syrup
- Put sugar, water, and raspberries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Once mixture comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until it thickens.
- Press syrup through a mesh sieve placed over a heat-proof bowl, making sure to press down on raspberries to extract as much juice as possible. Keep syrup in bowl or put in a jar or other airtight container and pace in fridge to cool completely.
Notes
- You should be able to make about 6 cocktails with 1 batch of simple syrup.
- Syrup should keep for about a month in an airtight container in fridge.
Useful Products
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