Red Top

 

Like Santa's red stocking cap rimmed with white fur, this cocktail is an emblem of holiday celebrations. The recipe is a simple and well-tested one--ordinarily known as the New York Sour back in the days when only New Yorkers floated red wine on top of their egg white Whiskey Sours. 

The difference here is that New York Sours are often on the rocks, while the red top really shows off its two-tone color shift in a Sour glass. The whiskey is rye, and I'm putting my bottle of Rittenhouse to good use. Cheers!

• 1 1/2 oz. rye (Rittenhouse used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1/2 egg white
• 1/2 oz. claret or cabernet sauvignon

Combine all ingredients except red wine in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill and remove the ice. Shake again to aerate and create foam and pour into a chilled Whiskey Sour glass. Using the back of a bar spoon, pour the red win so that it floats on top of the Sour.