The gold standard.
The Gold Rush.
Sometimes you just want a simple cocktail devoid of fancy ingredients and techniques. Sometimes you want a cocktail that doesn’t have a complicated history or backstory. Sometimes you want a Gold Rush. Created by Milk & Honey (kind of) co-founder T.J. Siegal, the Gold Rush contains just three ingredients, all of which you should have to hand: Bourbon, lemons, honey. You can use any bourbon and it will certainly leave its stamp on this very forgiving drink but I like my Gold Rush smooooth. Double charcoal filtered G Jack fits the bill quite nicely here, resulting in an extremely high quaffability quotient. And yes, I know the Gold Rush is very, very close to being a Whisky Sour but somehow honey in place of simple syrup makes a big difference. Sasha Petraske must have thought so too as he put it right there on the name of his bar.
The Gold Rush.
2oz / 60ml bourbon (I used Gentleman Jack).
0.75oz / 22ml fresh lemon juice.
0.75oz / 22ml honey syrup (3:1 honey/water).
Shake with ice and strain into a DOF glass containing a large block of ice.
Toast T.J. Siegal for a great drink and allowing M&H to exist.
A Proper Drink.
If you are interested in the story of the cocktail revival I suggest A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson. It’s definitely a book for the cocktail nerd rather than the general public – although it does contain a small number of excellent recipes. But if cocktail nerd is where you’re at – or where you’re headed – this really is essential reading. For me it was the book that finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Oh, and The Gold Rush is right there on page 96 at the end of the chapter on Milk & Honey.
A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson. Ten Speed Press ISBN 978-1-60774-754-3.
