The Gold Rush is a pretty simple cocktail. It has three ingredients: bourbon, honey simple syrup, and lemon juice. Yet Jim Meehan says in The PDT Cocktail Book that drinking one at Milk & Honey in New York fundamentally changed the way he viewed cocktails. I can only assume his revelation was related to the simplicity of the formula. It’s basically a whiskey sour, but the honey makes a big difference in flavor – one of the reasons that honey simple syrup is a staple in my home bar. I wouldn’t say the Gold Rush has fundamentally changed the way I view cocktails, but it’s a nice reminder that you don’t need a bottle of Green Chartreuse to make something truly tasty, and that small tweaks can make a big difference. There’s a similar cocktail that replaces the bourbon with gin, called a Bee’s Knees; given how much I like gin, that’s definitely on my list.
History: The Gold Rush was invented by T. J. Siegal of Milk & Honey around 2000.
Gold Rush
2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. honey simple syrup*
3/4 oz. lemon juice
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large cube of ice. No garnish.
*For honey simple syrup: combine equal parts honey and water in a saucepan and heat until honey is dissolved. Let cool before using.
Recipe from The PDT Cocktail Book.