
This Butterfly Sour is a variation of a standard Boston sour (which in turn is a variation of a whiskey sour). In this cocktail I use bourbon, creme de butterfly, lemon juice, and an egg white. Of course the mauve color comes from the color changing properties of the butterfly pea flower liqueur.
Butterfly Sour Ingredients
- 50 cl Bourbon. I used Buffalo Trace, but you can use whatever bourbon you like.
- 25 cl Lemon Juice. Freshly squeezed.
- 35 cl Creme de Butterfly. This is a homemade butterfly pea flower liqueur. You can find out how to make it here.
- 1 Egg White. This is what gives the butterfly sour it’s beautiful foam.
Garnish
- 3 dried Butterfly Pea Flowers

Instructions
1. Combine the bourbon, lemon juice, egg white, and Creme de Butterfly in a shaker. Give everything a good shake for a few seconds.
2. Open the shaker and add three ice cubes and hard wet shake for 30 seconds.
3. Strain into a Nick and Nora or a coupe glass. Let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with some dried flowers and serve.
Creme de Butterfly
Creme de Butterfly is a homemade liqueur (as I don’t think there’s a version sold on the market yet) of my own creation. Truth be told it’s just a tea infused cordial, but this is just my recipe for it.

You can see the full guide on how to make it here, but simply it is just 500 ml of vodka simmered and poured over 10 or so Butterfly Pea Flowers. Let sit for 4 days in a cool dark place. Then combine with 500 ml of lemongrass infused simple syrup.
If you are wondering why the Butterfly Sour is a purplish, or mauve hue then that is because the color changing properties of the liqueur. Anything infused with the flowers will change color based on what else is added. If you add an acid, like lemon juice for this cocktail’s case, it will turn purple. If you add tonic for example it will turn pink. You can check the video below to see it in action.

Butterfly Sour
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 50 ml Bourbon I used Buffalo Trace
- 25 ml Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 35 ml Creme de Butterfly homemade (since I don't think it's sold in stores)
- 1 small Egg White
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker add the bourbon, lemon juice, egg white, and creme de butterfly and give a shake for a few seconds.
- Open the shaker, add 3 ice cubes and hard wet shake for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora or a coupe glass and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with a few dried butterfly pea flowers.
