The first printed mention of the Whisky Sour that anyone is aware of is in the 1862 book "The Bartender's Guide" by Jerry Thomas. But versions of this cocktail were widely popular long before that. An English naval officer named Edward "Old Grog" Vernon, who died in 1757, was known to mix a variation of the sour for his crew on long sea journeys. This was for practical reasons. The citrus fought scurvy, and alcohol, usually rum, was safer to drink than water in many instances. Eventually, the drink would be brought to shore and refined to the version we know today.