The Industry Sour Drink Was Specially Crafted To Appeal To Bartenders

Bartenders are often made of sterner stuff than the average Joe, and this is definitely evident in their preferred alcoholic beverages. Accordingly, any cocktail designed by bartenders for bartenders is going to feature more complex flavors than crowd-pleasing selections like the classic margarita cocktail or the potent-yet-tasty Long Island iced tea. The industry sour cocktail is one such creation developed on the fly by bartender Ted Kilgore while serving a fellow industry professional (hence the name).

As Kilgore described to Esquire in 2012, "I basically thought to myself, 'What if I put all of my favorite things into a glass and just give it to him?' And that just happened in an equal-parts sort of scenario." The drink consists of equal parts Fernet Branca and green Chartreuse, as well as equal servings of simple syrup and lime juice.

For the uninitiated, Fernet is a liqueur hailing from Italy that's best known for its intensely bitter, herbal, and somewhat medicinal flavor. Its popularity among industry professionals has even earned the liqueur the nickname "bartender's handshake." As for green Chartreuse, this herbal liqueur features strong mint flavors, along with a bit of the black licorice flavor also found in Fernet. Intense tastes like these need a bit of tempering, which explains the inclusion of the simple syrup and lime juice. Simple syrup helps soften bitter flavors, while the acidity of lime juice can cut through the bracing intensity of the industry sour.

You don't need to be a bartending professional to create and enjoy an industry sour. It does help, however, to understand the process of making the drink. In the original recipe, the ingredients are combined in a shaker with ice, then strained into a glass. The shaker, which is an essential piece of equipment everyone needs to make a cocktail, serves an important purpose beyond simply incorporating different ingredients into one cohesive concoction. These bar tools also quickly bring down the temperature of your ingredients when you include ice.

Adaptations of the industry sour may also call for the inclusion of egg whites. A component of the somewhat-related whiskey sour, egg whites boost a cocktail's viscosity for a smoother, richer texture. You can also substitute aquafaba for egg whites if you're looking for an animal-free alternative. Aquafaba is the water left over after cooking chickpeas, and its texture is similar to that of egg whites.

Reddit also recommends another swap for the industry sour, which entails replacing the simple syrup with orgeat syrup. This almond-based sweetener creates a deeper flavor thanks to the almonds' nuttiness, while extracts of citrus fruits and flowers add to the sweetener's complexity. If intense flavors are your thing, the industry sour will make a fine addition to your cocktail rotation.