We are breaking down the history of a few classic cocktail recipes and ways to make them Iconic with our mixers! These classic recipes have dozens of claims of who created them and when and what the “true” recipe contains. But we say hell to that! It’s time to create your very own variations, so start here for some inspiration. Use our seasonal mixer, Iconic Meyer Lemon Balm, that’s made with freshly zested and juiced citrus, which can easily replace any sweet and sour that a recipe may call for.
The Whiskey Sour
So what makes the Whiskey...sour? It all goes back to when sailors would water down spirit with citrus to prevent scurvy. The earliest adaptations of the “sour” cocktail started on ships but a classier variation came to fruition once back onshore.
American’s spirit of choice was whiskey so naturally, we started combining powder sugar, lemon, and whiskey together to create this favorite cocktail. To obtain froth, bartenders started adding the egg white to land on the Classic Whiskey Sour.
At Iconic, we love using our Sour mixers like Meyer Lemon Balm, Prickly Pear Sour, or Grapefruit Fleur de Sel (our spring seasonal!) to replace the sweet and sour. Check out a few of our other favorite whiskey sour recipes like the Opuntia Sour with Prickly Pear Sour.
Sunshine Sour
- 2oz Whiskey
- 2oz Iconic Meyer Lemon Balm
- 1 egg white
-Combine all in a shaker without ice and dry shake
-Add ice to the shaker and shake until frosted
-Double strain into a chilled coup
-Garnish with a Meyer lemon peel
The Margarita
Another classic? The margarita. Spanish for the word Daisy, which is a nickname for the name Margaret, this classic cocktail goes ways back. Like any other classic cocktail, there are dozens of claims of who invented it. The first time this cocktail was marketed was in 1945 by Jose Cuervo with the tagline, “Margarita: it’s more than a girl’s name.”
Well, Jose, we have a new tag line for you. “Margarita: it deserves more than a sugary store-bought mixer with tons of ingredients you can’t pronounce.”
It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue but we think your margarita deserves something fresh, which is where we come in. Make a margarita with any of our Iconic mixers. We have tons of variations on our website right here but this time of year, we love using Meyer Lemon Balm!
Meyer Margarita
- 2oz Tequila
- 1oz Iconic Meyer Lemon Balm
- 1/2oz Lime Juice
- Sparkling water
-Combine all in a glass with or without a salted rim
-Stir to combine
-Garnish with a lime wedge
The Mimosa
This is another cocktail named after a flower! This drink was invented in Spain where citrus and sparkling wine were plentiful. Since then, this drink has accompanied many brunches on Sunday mornings. Traditionally made with orange juice, ingredients can be swapped out to create other takes on the classic. Peach = Bellini. Cranberry juice = Poinsettia. Grapefruit juice = Megmosa
So we’re creating our own variation right now. Iconic Meyer Lemon Balm + Sparkling Wine = Meymosa
- 4oz Sparkling Wine
- 1oz Iconic Meyer Lemon Balm
Combine in a flute and stir gently.
We hope you try out some of these classics! Snag a bottle of Meyer Lemon Balm when it's in season. We make this flavor as long as we can get our hands on fresh, local citrus from McClendon's Select! Cheers!