The Amsterdam Sour recipe
for your table
First shake the jenever, lemon juice, elderflower, and egg white without ice for 10 seconds.
Add ice and shake vigorously for another 15 seconds.
Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with lemon zest or a thin slice of lemon on the foam.
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The story
Jenever was once the most important spirit in the world. In the nineteenth century, people in New York drank more 'Holland gin' than English gin, and classics such as the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail were made with it. Then, in its home country, it was dismissed as grandpa's tipple. In recent years, the tide has turned: Dutch bartenders are rediscovering the malty richness of old jenever, and hospitality industry trend reports are putting jenever-based cocktails with elderflower and lemon in the spotlight. The Amsterdam Sour brings that movement together in one glass.
The right glassware
Serve this modern Dutchman straight up in a 24 to 26 cl coupe: the wide bowl showcases the foam beautifully and gives the malty jenever aromas room to breathe. To make the ritual more Dutch, pour the jenever at the table from a small traditional Dutch roemer, a nod to the kopstoot that completes the story. Prefer a smaller stemmed glass that is less likely to slosh? Take a look at our Nick & Nora glasses.
RCR Opera Champagne Glass / Coupe 24 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco America'20S Champagne Glass / Coupe 22 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 79,90.
The right tools
For an Amsterdam Sour, besides the glass, you use a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a citrus press. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 114,70.
Variations & twists
Young genever makes it lighter and more neutral, while korenwijn makes it deeper and maltier. Replace the elderflower with apple syrup for an autumn version with Dutch humor. A few drops of bitters on the foam complete the presentation. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Old genever (with plenty of malt wine) provides the depth that young genever lacks; this is the moment for the good bottle. Elderflower syrup makes it sweeter, while liqueur makes it fuller; taste and choose your style.
Good to know
Why genever instead of bourbon
A whiskey sour relies on bourbon: sweet, vanilla-like, and with plenty of oak influence. Old genever brings something different, namely malt wine. It provides a grainy, slightly bready base that is less sweet and pairs better with the floral elderflower. Where bourbon overwhelms the lemon, genever lets it come through. That is why this recipe uses 3 cl lemon juice to 4.5 cl genever, making it slightly more sour than the American version. The result is drier and unmistakably Dutch, and it is also why this sour tastes so much better with a good old genever than with a young one.
Which genever to choose
Old genever is the right choice, preferably one with a high malt wine content. Bottles containing 20 percent or more malt wine provide the depth that carries this cocktail. Young genever contains virtually no malt wine and makes the sour neutral and thin, more of a lemon cocktail than a genever cocktail. Korenwijn goes in the other direction, with at least 51 percent malt wine: fuller and woodier, so you can reduce it to 4 cl to keep it from becoming too heavy. This is the moment for a bottle you would also serve neat.
Without egg: shake with aquafaba
Replace the egg white with 2 cl of aquafaba and you'll get exactly the same creamy foam. The liquid from a can of chickpeas foams because of the same proteins that egg white provides, and it doesn't add any flavor. Shake first for ten seconds without ice, then add ice and shake vigorously for another fifteen seconds. Double straining remains important because ice chips will flatten the foam again. If it doesn't work, the aquafaba is usually too thin; briefly reduce it until it approaches the thickness of egg white and try again.
Pre-mixing for a group
When you're hosting drinks, you don't want to shake six times in a row. Combine the genever, lemon juice, and elderflower in the right proportions in a bottle and chill it for at least two hours; allow 9.5 cl of mix per person. Add the egg white or aquafaba only when shaking, because foam like that won't last for hours. Then shake two glasses at a time, first without ice and then with it, so the dilution is right. Put the coupes in the freezer beforehand, because an ice-cold glass keeps the foam standing noticeably longer.
Frequently asked questions
What is in an Amsterdam Sour?
An Amsterdam Sour consists of 4.5 cl oude genever, 3 cl fresh lemon juice, 2 cl elderflower liqueur or syrup, and one egg white, garnished with lemon zest. It is the classic sour formula in which bourbon is replaced by Dutch malt wine, resulting in a softer, grainier flavor.
Which genever do you use for an Amsterdam Sour?
Oude genever is the right choice because it contains plenty of malt wine and provides the depth this cocktail relies on. Jonge genever makes it lighter and more neutral, while korenwijn makes it fuller and maltier. This is the time to use a good bottle, because the genever is the main flavor here.
Which glass do you use for an Amsterdam Sour?
A coupe glass with a capacity of 24 to 26 cl is ideal. The wide bowl showcases the egg-white foam and gives the malty genever aromas room to open up. Serve straight up, without ice in the glass; see our champagne coupe glasses.
Can you make an Amsterdam Sour without egg?
Yes, replace the egg white with 2 cl of aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Shake it exactly the same way: first for ten seconds without ice to create the foam, then for fifteen seconds with ice. The result is just as creamy and suitable for guests who prefer not to drink raw egg.
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