sour

spirits, sugar, lemon juice (and sometimes egg white and/or a splash of carbonated water)

The Sour is a tricky, but important, one. It was a de facto drink category by the 1850s, but what that actually meant varied a lot. Sometimes the Sour seemed to be an adaptation of punch to the smaller, single-serving template of the American bar, difficult to distinguish from the Fix. Other times the Sour seemed to just be a Sling “made sour” with just a touch of citrus juice. Or it could be something inbetween. Regardless, over the years the Sour led to the Daisy and citrus-oriented cocktails like the Jack Rose and Clover Club. The main Sour that has essentially survived intact to this day is the Whiskey Sour, but the New York Sour has also seen revival.