Gold Rush Cocktail

The Gold Rush Cocktail marries bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice in one delicious cocktail. It's a fabulous and perfectly balanced variation on the traditional whiskey sour.

This might be my new favorite cocktail. It's easy to shake up and tastes amazing. In my mind, the bourbon lends itself to being a Fall and Winter cocktail, while the honey and bright lemon make it also feel like it would be great choice year round.

To be honest, the first time that I made this drink, my first thought (after thinking about how good it tasted) was that this was something that I wouldn't mind drinking when I have a bit of a cold. Warming bourbon, soothing honey, zingy lemon... Maybe that's just me, though. Sick or not, I plan to be shaking up a Gold Rush on the regular from here on out.

Looking for more bourbon cocktails? Try my Kentucky Mule or Maple Old Fashioned!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 💭 What is a Gold Rush Cocktail?
• 📝 Ingredients
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a Gold Rush Drink
• 🔗 Other bourbon drinks
• ❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks
• 🖤 Share your creations and follow me on social media!
• ✨ Recipe
• 📌 Pin this recipe for later!

🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's perfectly balanced. Smooth bourbon, sweet honey syrup, and bright, zingy lemon make for a balanced and delicious drink.

It's easy to make. You only need to shake up a few ingredients and strain it into a glass over ice.

It only requires three ingredients. Just three!

💭 What is a Gold Rush Cocktail?

A Gold Rush was created in NYC at the bar Milk & Honey in the mid-2000s and is a bourbon-based, shaken cocktail that is made with only three ingredients: bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice.

We'll talk about these ingredients in the section right below this one.

📝 Ingredients

This drink requires only a handful of simple ingredients.

• Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed, please!
• Honey syrup: This cocktail calls for honey syrup, which is a syrup made from a 1:1 combination of water and honey. It's incredibly easy and worthwhile to make your own at home.
• Bourbon: Ultimately, you should use the bourbon that you like to drink, but I recommend using something of at least decent quality. As you can see in the photos, I shook mine up with some Maker's Mark (and it was delicious).
• Garnish: I garnished my drink with a lemon wedge, skewered on a cocktail pick.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a Gold Rush Drink

Start out by adding a large ice cube to a rocks glass. You can use a handful of smaller ice cubes, too, if that's what you have. I've come to really enjoy large ice cubes because they melt more slowly, and therefore don't dilute your cocktail as quickly as smaller ice cubes do.

You'll then add your cocktail ingredients and ice to a cocktail shaker. I've been using a single large cube in my shakers, too, for the same reason that I've been serving them in my finished drinks. Larger ice cubes = less watered down drinks than when using small cubes, while still allowing for an adequate and appropriate amount of dilution. Shake everything until it is very cold.

Next, you'll strain your drink into your prepared cocktail glass.

From there, all you'll do is garnish your Gold Rush with a lemon wedge. I popped mine onto a gold cocktail pick.

Of course, garnishing your drinks isn't required. I just think that it adds a lot to the overall presentation.

🔗 Other bourbon drinks

Looking for other drinks that are made with bourbon? Peruse the photos and links below from A Nerd Cooks, as well as from other fabulous bloggers.

• Sweet Tea and Bourbon Cocktail from Sweet Tea and Thyme
• Bourbon Smash from Britney Breaks Bread
• Peach and Basil Bourbon Smash from The Boozy Ginger
• Bourbon Moscow Mule from A Nerd Cooks
• Apple Old Fashioned from Mitten Girl

❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks

🖤 Share your creations and follow me on social media!

✨ Recipe

📌 Pin this recipe for later!