When you hunt for the classic whiskey cocktails, you’ll find a huge range of drinks to choose from in all sorts of types and styles. Within that range, you’ll also find specific bourbon cocktails, which are designed to take advantage of the flavors of bourbon, which has become massively popular in recent decades and has been used to create a number of new drinks.
One of our favorite contemporary drinks is the Gold Rush. It’s not just that it’s delicious on a warm summer night or in the depths of frigid winter; it’s also surprisingly simple to make. It’s a take on the classic whiskey sour with one ingredient swapped out for another.
The Gold Rush is made simply with bourbon, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and honey syrup (as opposed to the usual simple syrup). That being said, it’s also a take on the Bee’s Knees cocktail, as it has all the same ingredients except for bourbon instead of gin. Its complex flavor profile proves how easy it is to mix and match classic cocktails to create exciting contemporary takes.
What you need to make the Gold Rush
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of bourbon whiskey
- 3/4 ounce of honey syrup
- 3/4 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Method:
1. Add ice to a shaker.
2. Pour the bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup into the shaker.
3. Shake vigorously to combine.
4. Strain it into an ice-filled rock of Old Fashioned glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon peel.
How to make honey syrup
If you’re going to make a Gold Rush cocktail, you’re going to need to make honey syrup. Otherwise, if you use simple syrup, you’ll be crafting a traditional whiskey sour instead. While you mix equal parts sugar and water to make simple syrup, honey syrup is just as easy to make.
Add equal parts honey and water to a container. Stir until the two ingredients are fully combined. If you enjoy honey more than most people, you can add more honey to the combination. Just make sure the honey and water completely combine before you use it.
When was the Gold Rush created?
A wildly popular cocktail, the Gold Rush was created in the early aughts at New York’s famous Milk & Honey by T.J. Siegal, friend and business partner of owner Sasha Petraske. Since the bar didn’t have a cocktail menu, Siegal decided to create his own take on the classic whiskey sour by removing the egg white and simple syrup instead of honey syrup. Thus, the Gold Rush we all know and love was created.
What does the Gold Rush cocktail taste like?
The whiskey sour is known for its mixture of boozy bourbon, tart lemon, and sweet sugar. For having only three ingredients, it’s surprisingly complex. The Gold Rush is known for its boozy, corn-sweet kick of bourbon, tart, fresh lemon juice, and sweet, floral honey.
What bourbon should you use for the gold rush?
This isn’t a cocktail with a ton of different ingredients, so there isn’t a lot of space for covering up bad bourbon. That means you should stay away from anything bottom shelf or very inexpensive, which is likely to have an overly harsh taste and unpleasant off flavors. However, it’s also not the time to pull out your top-of-the-range sipping bourbons, as their delicate flavors will be lost among the sweet honey and sharp citrus.
You want to use a bourbon that’s a solid, middle-of-the-road choice and perhaps one designed for mixing. Brands like Wild Turkey, Basil Hayden, Old Forester, or Four Roses will steer you well, as they have affordable offerings that are still of good quality and a pleasure to drink.
Beyond that, there’s room for flexibility here, as many different flavor profiles will work with lemon and honey. You might like to use something on the sweeter and fruiter end, if that’s your preferred style, but you could also make this drink work well with something more spicy. Feel free to experiment with the different bourbons you have access to and find something you like.
Bottom line
Like with all whiskey-based cocktails, don’t go bottom shelf with your bourbon. You might think the flavors are masked with the other ingredients, but the simplicity of this drink demands a flavorful, well-made bourbon. Lucky for you, there are many in the $30 to $50 range.
