The recipe
- 1½ ozWhiskey (usually bourbon)45 ml
- ¾ ozGrapefruit juice23 ml
- ¾ ozHoney23 ml
How to make it
- 1Shake everything hard with ice, so the honey dissolves.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish: A grapefruit twist (the modern garnish).
Variations: Most bars use honey syrup, which mixes more easily; Punch’s 1½ oz bourbon, ¾ oz grapefruit and ¾ oz 2:1 honey syrup keeps the same proportions.
The 1933 book gives half whisky and a quarter each of grapefruit juice and honey; the amounts are scaled to a 3 oz drink.
The ratio
2 : 1 : 1
In parts, a Brown Derby is 2 whiskey, 1 grapefruit and 1 honey. Change one part and you have a cousin; the closest are below.
Built the same way
Head to head
More Sours
- Amaretto Sour — Amaretto and lemon shaken with egg white into a foamy, almond-sweet sour.
- Aviation — Gin and lemon sweetened with maraschino, with a spoonful of crème de violette for its pale sky color and floral edge.
- Bee’s Knees — Gin softened with honey and brightened with lemon and orange. A gentle, rounded sour.
- Between the Sheets — Cognac and white rum with triple sec and lemon: a Sidecar with a second spirit. Strong and orange-scented.
- Bourbon Renewal — A bourbon sour with crème de cassis and a dash of bitters, shaken and poured over ice: tart, dark-fruited and easy.
- Bramble — A gin sour over crushed ice with blackberry liqueur drizzled through it, bleeding purple as it sinks.