Grapefruit gives this bourbon sour a pleasant bitterness that lemon never could, and honey rounds it off with floral warmth. Shaken cold and served up, it is simple to make and surprisingly elegant.
1½ oz
bourbone.g. Maker's Mark · Buffalo Trace · Woodford Reserve · Wild Turkey · Jim Beam
1 oz
grapefruit juice freshly squeezed
½ oz
honey syrup 2 parts honey to 1 part warm water
Garnish: Grapefruit twist · Ice: Served up, no ice
Derby (Brown Derby)
Round vanilla and oak from the bourbon, tart and slightly bitter grapefruit, and floral honey sweetness. Light bodied and dry leaning.
This combination of bourbon, grapefruit and honey is best known as the Brown Derby. It is usually traced to Los Angeles in the early 1930s, often to the Vendome Club, and named after the Brown Derby, a Hollywood restaurant famous for its building shaped like a bowler hat. The recipe has circulated under that name since then.
The name Derby is attached to several different drinks: the IBA's Derby is a stirred mix of gin, peach bitters and mint, and Trader Vic's Derby combines bourbon, sweet vermouth, curaçao and lime, so check the ingredients when you see it on a menu. The grapefruit and honey version belongs to the family of honey sours that also includes the Bee's Knees and the Gold Rush.
In most modern bars the bourbon, grapefruit and honey version is called either name. The IBA's Derby, however, is a different drink made with gin, peach bitters and mint.
Yes, rye makes it spicier and drier; you may want a little more honey syrup.
Not this version. Its name refers to the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles; the Kentucky Derby's official drink is the Mint Julep.
The perfect sound
Old Hollywood glamour in a hat shaped restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard.
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