What is a whiskey sour?Bourbon, lemon and sugar — and ours at Fiena, King's Cross

A whiskey sour belongs to the old sour family of drinks: a base spirit, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener. Jerry Thomas described sours in his 1862 book How to Mix Drinks. The whiskey version is whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup, shaken and served straight up or over ice, often garnished with a cherry or a lemon wedge.

Add egg white and some people call it a Boston sour. Use Scotch and it's a Scotch sour; use bourbon and it's a Bourbon sour. Float a little full-bodied red wine on top and you have a New York sour. Background from Wikipedia's whiskey sour page and Wikipedia's sour cocktail page.

The oldest known newspaper mention of a whiskey sour is in Wisconsin's Waukesha Plain Dealer in 1870. A later story, published in 1962 and citing a Peruvian newspaper, says Elliott Stubb created a "whisky sour" in Iquique in 1872. Either way, the drink was already travelling by the late nineteenth century.

Bourbon is an American whiskey made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, and aged in new, charred oak containers. Straight bourbon has a minimum aging requirement of two years. In 1964 the U.S. Congress declared bourbon a distinctive product of the United States. Most of it is still made in Kentucky. Background from Wikipedia's bourbon page.

Our whiskey sour uses Buffalo Trace bourbon. Buffalo Trace Distillery is in Frankfort, Kentucky, owned by the Sazerac Company; the Buffalo Trace brand was introduced in August 1999 and takes its name from an old buffalo trackway across the Kentucky River. The site was once the Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. Background from Wikipedia's Buffalo Trace Distillery page.

Our Whiskey sour is Buffalo Trace bourbon, fresh lemon, gomme syrup and vegan foam. Cocktails are made with a 50ml spirit measure; alcoholic drinks are served from 10:30. It sits with the other classics on the list — the Negroni and espresso martini, the Bramble, and our whisky and bourbon shelf.

A sharp, sweet-sour bourbon drink loves richer plates from the main menu: Saltimbocca alla Romana, Lamb cutlets, the Fiena burger, or Pollo alla Milanese. For something to share first, try Padron peppers, Arancini mushroom or Baby calamari. See saltimbocca, the grill and the Fiena burger.

Guests notice the drinks as well as the food. One review put it simply: The food and drinks were delicious and beautifully presented, with an amazing decor and chilled and relaxing atmosphere, would visit here again, and definitely recommend. (Google review) And James wrote: Friendly welcoming staff, delicious food, and excellent fresh beer. (James, Google review)

“The food was tasty, fresh, and really well prepared.”

Nasipa, Google reviews, 2026