Whiskey gold rush

Sasha Petraske opened Milk & Honey in 1999, and the Gold Rush was one of the first truly successful creations from the bar. Surprisingly, it wasn’t created by Sasha or anyone on his team. It was created by his longtime friend, T.J. Siegal, whilst he was sitting at the Milk & Honey bar enjoying a Bourbon Sour after a long shift in Midtown.

Petraske told him about a honey syrup he was concocting, and Siegal requested another sour made using the syrup. Sasha used a common sour format of 2 ounces (60ml) spirit, 3⁄4 ounce (22.5ml) juice, and 3⁄4 ounce (22.5ml) sweetener, and it was an instant hit. Over the course of the next 12 years, Sasha featured the drink at several of his prominent bars.

Jim Meehan tried the Gold Rush on his first visit to Milk & Honey in 2003. The drink had a big impact on Meehan, who stated that it fundamentally changed the way he viewed cocktails. He went on to make it at every bar he worked at and later included the recipe in The PDT Cocktail Book, helping to grow its popularity.

Ingredients

• 2 oz (60ml) bourbon whiskey
• ¾ oz (22.5ml) honey syrup 
• ¾ oz (22.5ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients.

Add ice and shake for 10 to 12 seconds.

Strain over fresh ice into an old-fashioned glass.

Garnish with a lemon peel.