The Gold Rush cocktail is a modern classic made with bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice. It is essentially a bourbon-based variation of the Whiskey Sour, where the usual sugar is replaced with honey syrup, giving the drink a richer, rounder sweetness and a subtle floral note. Bright lemon provides acidity to balance the sweetness, while bourbon adds warmth and depth.
The Gold Rush is considered a modern classic cocktail that originated in the early 2000s at Milk & Honey, the influential bar founded by Sasha Petraske. It helped popularize honey syrup as a cocktail sweetener.
It’s often considered one of the best cocktails to showcase honey syrup, which is why it frequently appears alongside flavored syrups like cinnamon simple syrup in cocktail guides.
Gold Rush Cocktail
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bourbon
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 1/2 medium lemons)
- 2 ounces honey simple syrup
- Ice
- 2 lemon twists (for garnish)