The Koji Sour takes the familiar Whiskey Sour in a more complex direction with one small addition: white miso.
The Spirit of Bourbon brings oak, vanilla, and spice, while lemon and demerara provide the classic sweet-sour structure. A half teaspoon of white miso adds salinity, umami, and depth, giving the cocktail a fuller, more rounded character without making it taste overtly of miso.
It is a subtle addition, but that is precisely the point.
The Free Spirits Company
Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
The Koji Sour takes the familiar Whiskey Sour in a more complex direction with one small addition: white miso.
The Spirit of Bourbon brings oak, vanilla, and spice, while lemon and demerara provide the classic sweet-sour structure. A half teaspoon of white miso adds salinity, umami, and depth, giving the cocktail a fuller, more rounded character without making it taste overtly of miso.
It is a subtle addition, but that is precisely the point.
1 oz fresh lemon juice
½ tsp white miso paste
Lemon peel, for garnish
Add the white miso and demerara syrup to a cocktail shaker and stir until the miso is completely dissolved.
Add The Spirit of Bourbon and fresh lemon juice, then dry shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
Add ice and shake briefly until chilled.
Double strain into a chilled coupe.
Express a lemon peel over the cocktail and garnish.
Heat 2 tablespoons of water with a quarter cup of demerara (or turbinado) sugar in a saucepan until it's dissolved
Remove from heat and allow to cool
Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
About Free Spirits
The Spirit of Bourbon mirrors the complexity and structure of classic Kentucky bourbon, crafted with real American oak and natural extracts to deliver warm spice, vanilla, and char with a sweetness an aged bourbon is known for.
It brings the heft bourbon cocktails demand: enough body to stand up to bitters, the precision stirred drinks require, and the balance to carry citrus in Sours and Gold Rushes. It holds its ground alongside bold ingredients like ginger, honey, and aromatic bitters, and delivers consistent backbone in Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Boulevardiers, and any cocktail calling for whiskey with character and restraint.
A zero-proof cocktail is a fully built drink that follows the same principles as any classic: acid, sweetness, aromatics, dilution, and a defined base spirit. The difference is the base is non-alcoholic. When that spirit has enough structure and character, like the ones we make, you get a cocktail that drinks like a cocktail, not a compromise.
Non-alcoholic spirits step into the role of the base spirit. They carry citrus, sugar, bitters, and dilution the same way their alcoholic counterparts do. Some recipes need small ratio adjustments, but the technique stays the same: build the drink, balance the elements, and let the base spirit define the profile.
They taste like cocktails: recognizable, structured, and intentional. The goal isn't imitation; it's integrity. When the build is balanced and the spirit has presence, you get the character of the drink without relying on alcohol to do the work.
Yes. Complexity comes from design, not ethanol. A well-built zero-proof cocktail shows layers: aromatics, texture, finish. The craft sits in the composition, not the ABV. The right non-alcoholic spirit brings the structure; the ingredients do the rest.
Zero-proof cocktails contain no alcohol. Low-proof cocktails blend traditional spirits with non-alcoholic spirits to dial down the ABV while keeping the drink's identity intact. It's the easiest way to keep the ritual, cut the intensity, and stay in full control of the experience.
The Spirit of Bourbon is built with oak-forward depth and enough body to hold bitters and sweetness in balance. Whether you use it as the sole base or split it with traditional bourbon, it behaves like a true cocktail foundation, keeping the drink structured, complex, and true to form.
