How to make a Whiskey Sour

I love a good Whiskey Sour! What I've learned, is that I absolutely hate sour mix out of a bottle. It tastes synthetic, and pretty much just irritates me. To remedy that, I take a few extra minutes and make my own.

It's simple and delicious.

3/4 cup whiskey (I use Maker's Mark for this recipe)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5-7 limes)
2/3 cup simple syrup
1 small strip of lemon rind (just the yellow part)
4 Maraschino cherries
Ice

Directions:

Combine 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil, and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved (it only takes about 2 minutes). Off the heat, add the lemon rind, and let the mixture sit (covered) for about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove the lemon rind, and discard it. Put the syrup in the fridge to cool for about 30 minutes.

In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, lime juice, whiskey and 2/3 c. of syrup.

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice, then add enough "juice" until your shaker is about 3/4 full (any more than that will ensure you spill).

Shake for 30 seconds and strain into glasses.

Add a maraschino cherry and serve.

Enjoy!