# Brown Derby

Grapefruit's fragrant bitterness and honey's rounded sweetness pull in opposite directions around bourbon, producing a leaner sour than the three ingredients imply.

Strength: 20% ABV before dilution

## Ingredients

- 45 ml [Bourbon](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/bourbon.md) — Use a full-flavoured or higher-proof bourbon.
- 30 ml [Fresh grapefruit juice](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/fresh-grapefruit-juice.md)
- 15 ml [Honey syrup](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/honey-syrup.md) — Use a one-to-one syrup by weight.

## Glassware

Cocktail glass

## Garnish

- Grapefruit twist — Express the peel oils over the drink and retain the twist.

## Method

1. Shake all ingredients hard with cubed ice until thoroughly chilled.
2. Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

## Related drinks

- [Gold Rush](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/gold-rush.md): A bourbon sour sweetened with rich honey syrup instead of sugar.
- [Whiskey Sour](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/whiskey-sour.md): Bourbon, lemon, and sugar with optional egg white for a soft, foamy texture.
- [Port Light](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/port-light.md): Bourbon becomes unmistakably tropical when sharp lemon meets passion fruit and pomegranate over crushed ice in Sandro Conti's direct Midwestern tiki sour.
- [Whiskey Smash](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/whiskey-smash.md): Muddled lemon flesh and peel make this bourbon-and-mint cooler more pulpy and aromatic than either a Whiskey Sour or a Mint Julep.
- [Halekulani](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/halekulani.md): High-proof bourbon carries three fresh juices, restrained grenadine, and bitters in a poised Waikiki hotel drink that feels sharper than its tropical ingredients suggest.
- [Iron Ranger](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/iron-ranger.md): Erick Castro's bourbon-led tropical drink, bringing pineapple and lemon into focus with falernum, sugar, spice, and serious whiskey weight.
- [Bee's Knees](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/bees-knees.md): Gin, lemon, and honey form a spare Prohibition-era sour whose floral softness makes a useful counterpoint to the whiskey-based Gold Rush.
- [Mint Julep](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/mint-julep.md): A cold, fragrant bourbon drink in which mint and a little sugar open the whiskey without obscuring it.

## References

- Canonical page: https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/brown-derby
- Photograph: https://stirred.fyi/assets/cocktails/brown-derby-99d436e0.webp
- Recipe source: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/brown-derby/