Gold Rush Cocktail

I think one of the greatest things about being in a kitchen is finding something you had forgotten in the back of a cupboard and then figuring out what to do with it. Even if you don’t end up with something you love, you have the novelty of getting out of whatever rut you’ve been in. In this case the forgotten ingredient was a bottle of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon some friends had left after New Year’s Eve.

I’m not a whisky drinker, per se. Even right there I’m pretty sure I’ve made a mistake because someone out there knows the difference between whiskey and bourbon but it isn’t me. I guess the saying you’re supposed to remember is “All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.” I had to look that up because even with a saying I don’t remember which is which. I don’t usually drink brown spirits. And have no interest in being involved with the illuminati who make very fine distinctions in this area.

However, when you find a mostly full bottle of what is apparently a very good bourbon in your drinks cupboard the only thing to do is start Googling. Having some experience with cocktail culture means we have a couple of the more obscure ingredients but I wouldn’t even say we have the basics so the only drink we could actually make was this one.

Happy accidents! It is so good. The key is the honey syrup. As soon as the honey and water hit the heat it filled the kitchen with the most amazing smell. I can’t wait for later this year when I can make honey syrup and infuse it with spices for a winter version of this cocktail. Or use the honey syrup in lemonade maybe? Or try it with different honey? You get the idea, it was inspiring and so much more interesting than simple syrup.

It looks like the real find here was maybe the syrup but I’m really glad we came to it through this cocktail because it’s a keeper, for sure.