I’m continuing my series on quarantine cocktails, crafted from ingredients that you have on hand, no trip to the liquor store required. A number of drinks that fit the bill - the Martini, Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Boulevardier, gin & tonic - have been covered in previous posts. Classic cocktails such as these are excellent on any occasion, but particularly suitable when your trapped at home.

Today’s drink is the Gold Rush, a 21st century creation from NYC’s famed Milk & Honey speakeasy (which, alas, is now defunct). It’s virtually identical to the Bee’s Knees from my last blog. The only difference is the use of bourbon instead of gin as the base liquor, but the change is dramatic: instead of bright citrus and floral notes, the richness of honey emphasizes the sweet corn flavors of bourbon, creating a luxurious warmth. Some bourbons are sweeter than others, so feel free to adjust the amounts of honey and lemon to suit your taste. If you don’t have bourbon in your liquor cabinet, almost any whiskey will work: American, Canadian, Irish, or Japanese. But not Scotch - save that for the Penicillin, another modern classic from Milk & Honey.

Let me know how your version turns out!

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Gold Rush

• 2 oz bourbon (I used Four Roses Small Batch)

• ¾ oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• ¾ oz rich honey syrup (recipe below)

• cocktail shaker, strainer, ice, large ice cube, double rocks glass (chilled)

Steps

• combine all ingredients in the cocktail shaker

• half-fill with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled, 20-30 seconds (there should be tiny shards of ice floating in the drink)

• strain into chilled glass over a single large ice cube

Rich honey syrup

• combine two parts honey with one part warm water

• stir until honey dissolves completely; cool to room temperature

• store in refrigerator (keeps up to two weeks)