The Gold Rush is a super simple, super delicious bourbon cocktail with just three ingredients! This drink is always a crowd pleaser, great for whiskey lovers, and has a great balance of flavors.
This drink is great for basically any season of the year! But, I love it in spring and summer especially. It's so good and easy to make!
If you're looking for more honey cocktails, look no further than the delicious Bees Knees classic gin drink. Or, the Rum Hot Toddy uses a touch of honey for sweetness, and so does my non-alcoholic Blueberry Ginger Beer mocktail!
This drink is really similar to a Whiskey Sour, but the honey gives it a little bit of a different twist. Try the whiskey-based Shamrock Sour or this Blood Orange Whiskey Sour for some different options!
History of the Gold Rush
The old-timey name makes it sound like this cocktail's been around forever, but it was actually created in the mid-2000's at the Milk & Honey bar in New York.
It was the brainchild of bartender T. J. Siegal, and it's definitely become a modern classic since!
Ingredients
This is a three-ingredient cocktail, so each one brings a lot of flavor to the mix! The original recipe calls for bourbon whiskey. I've used a blended whiskey here, but either will taste delicious.
Besides the booze, you'll also need some honey syrup (you can use my honey syrup recipe) and lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed.
For the garnish, I wanted to give the drink some sparkle! I used some gold-colored sanding sugar to stick to the side of the glass, plus a piece of lemon peel.
Substitutions
If you don't have any honey syrup ready to go, you can make a quick honey syrup mix by using ½ ounce water and ½ ounce honey. Mix those together in your cocktail shaker first until the honey dissolves as much as possible.
If you want to use something other than bourbon, go for a blended whiskey, or even a dark rum in a pinch.
Equipment
You'll just need a couple of standard bar tools to make this drink!
Get a cocktail shaker, strainer, and a serving glass. This drink is normally served on ice, so a lowball glass works great. (I used these iridescent rocks glasses.)
If you have one, also grab a fine mesh strainer, plus a vegetable peeler, paring knife, citrus juicer and cutting board for the lemon.
A small dish to hold the gold sanding sugar is nice to have too!
Note: whenever you need any new bar equipment, definitely check out the products from A Bar Above! You can get 10% off using my discount code, LKDrinks. I love their bar tools (especially the gold color!)
Instructions
Start out by making your (optional) lemon peel garnish. Use a vegetable peeler to cut off a large piece of peel.
If you want, you can shape the peel into a leaf shape and then cut a slit in the middle to attach it to the rim of the glass.
Next, the other optional garnish is to add some gold-colored sanding sugar to the side of the glass. You can also add it to the glass rim if you prefer.
Cut the lemon in half, and use it to wet the glass wherever you want the sugar to go. Then, just dip it into the dish of sugar.
Set the glass aside while you mix up the drink itself.
Add the lemon juice to your cocktail shaker, using a fine mesh strainer to strain out any pulp or seeds.
Then, add in the honey syrup and the bourbon.
Fill the shaker with ice and shake well, about 15-20 times.
Then, add ice to your serving glass. A large piece of ice is ideal, but regular ice works too.
Strain the drink into the glass. Then, add the lemon peel garnish to the glass rim, and serve.
Hint: This drink can also be served up (without ice) in a stemmed glass for a more upscale feel!
Top tip
Want to elevate this cocktail even more? Try using a dash or two of bitters! Angostura bitters, lavender bitters, or orange bitters would all work great in this drink and add another layer of flavor.
📖 Recipe
Gold Rush
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer (optional)
- Cocktail serving glass
- Knife and cutting board (optional - if using fresh lemon)
- Citrus juicer (optional - if using fresh lemon)
- Small dish (optional - for gold sugar)
Ingredients
Garnish (optional)
- lemon peel (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons gold-colored sanding sugar (optional)
Cocktail
- 2 ounces bourbon whiskey (or a blended whiskey)
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce honey syrup (see Notes)
Instructions
Garnish (optional)
- Use a vegetable peeler to make a large piece of lemon peel. Then, use a paring knife to clean up the sides and make it into a leaf shape. Cut a slit in the middle where it will attach to the serving glass.
- Use water, honey or a cut lemon to wet the serving glass where you want the sugar to stick. Then, dip it into the dish of gold sugar. Set the glass aside while you make the drink.
Cocktail
- First, add the lemon juice. Hold a fine mesh strainer above the cocktail shaker while you pour in the lemon juice so that you don't get the pulp or seeds in the drink.
- Then, add in the honey syrup and bourbon.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake well, 15-20 times.
- Add fresh ice to your cocktail glass, and strain the drink into the glass.
- Attach the lemon peel to the rim of the glass, and serve.
Notes
- You can make your own Honey Syrup with my recipe. If you don't have any, you can use ½ ounce of honey and ½ ounce of water in this drink. Make sure all of the honey dissolves before you add ice.
- If you don't have the gold sanding sugar, you can just use plain sugar, or mix plain sanding sugar with some gold luster dust.
Kimberly says
I definitely approve of this cocktail. Simple and so good! Let me know if you have questions about this drink!