What Is Sour Mix?

Sour cocktails are one of the oldest cocktail types and just like the name suggests, these things are sour. What makes them sour? For many, it’s sour mix. What is sour mix? What is in sour mix? Does sour mix have alcohol? Let’s pucker up and get the scoop on sour mix!

What is sour mix?

Sour mix is a concoction that is used to make sour cocktails. It can also be called sweet and sour mix. Sour cocktails are an extremely old-school cocktail classification, originally described in the 1862 book Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide. 

Sour cocktails may have come from the punches British sailors drank way back in the 1600. Sailors mixed their rations of rum with a squeeze of lime to prevent scurvy. Today, sour cocktails encompass a wide range of drinks from Margaritas to Whiskey Sours.

What is in sour mix?

Homemade sour mix is a pretty straightforward recipe. It’s just simple syrup (sugar and water) and citrus juice (usually lemon or lime or a mix). To make sour mix, stir together one part sugar, one part water, one part lime juice, and one part lemon juice. Now you’ve got yourself a sour mix! 

Classy and fancy bars will make their own sour mix. But a lot of bars opt for store bought, pre-made, neon-hued sour mix. This premade sour mix is sweet and sour and often syrupy. Have you ever gone to a $1 Margarita happy hour and felt your blood sugar spike on your first sip? Yeah, that Margarita was made with store bought mix. Just drink it and buy another round. It’s dollar ‘ritas, dude.

These premade sour mixes are made with stuff like citric acid, sugar (or corn syrup), “natural flavors,” preservatives, colorings, and stabilizers. 

Does sour mix have alcohol?

So, is sour mix alcoholic? Nope. Sour mix is used as a mixer in alcoholic drinks. But sour mix itself is alcohol free. From the homemade stuff kept at craft bars, to the premade stuff at your local grocery store’s adult beverage aisle, you won’t find any alcohol in sour mix. If you add alcohol to sour mix, you’ve got yourself a mixed drink. Personally, I don’t drink alcohol. So I just like chugging sour mix.