Wilderness Brown Derby
This week, we are continuing with our Kentucky Derby theme. While the Mint Julep reigns supreme as the quintessential derby cocktail, we wanted to share a cocktail that hits very different tasting notes. While Mint Juleps are generally extremely sweet, our Wilderness Brown Derby is tangy and savory. Sharing this cocktail at your derby party ensures you’ll have a drink that suits everyone’s taste.
As a long-time Kentucky Derby viewer, I know the weather can get pretty nasty for the race. While most envision men in seersucker suits and women wearing spring dresses and decorative hats on a sunny day, it often rains. And when it rains, it pours. There have been plenty of Derby Days where the jockeys and horses finish caked in mud.
The Wilderness Brown Derby is a drink that from appearance and the tart flavor, reminds me of the Kentucky Derby spirit. While it is supposed to be bright and sunny, like mint and sugar, it sometimes ends up a little sour and bittersweet. While the exuberant winner celebrates, others are left packing up in the rain and mud, left only with defeat. While the Wilderness Brown Derby is tart, you’ll feel like a winner as you sip this cocktail from the comforts of home.
Our Wilderness Brown Derby combines grapefruit juice, honey simple syrup, a splash of lemon juice, and bourbon. We experimented with this recipe several times to make sure we got it right. Honestly, the traditional Brown Derby hasn’t stood the test of time, so it required updating. It is like the drink version of your grandma’s living room. It was pretty fashionable in the 1970s but could use some updating to fit the style and trends of today. Too much grapefruit juice or freshly squeezed juice makes the drink too sour. It was also challenging to find the right amount of honey simple syrup to lightly sweeten the drink without overpowering the citrus and bourbon flavor. Although you can still use freshly squeezed citrus we recommend you halve the amounts of juice listed below to achieve the right balance of sweetness and tartness.
The official whiskey of the Kentucky Derby is Woodford Reserve, which would be a choice to mix up in this cocktail. We liked it best with Rebel 100. The extra kick of intensity of the Rebel 1oo really amped up the flavor, and potency of this cocktail. If you haven’t checked out our review of Rebel 100, you can find it here.
Wilderness Brown Derby
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 2 ounces Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
- 2 tsp Honey simple syrup
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine whiskey, grapefruit juice, honey simple syrup, and lemon juice in a shaker.
- Shake to combine ingredients.
- Serve over ice. Add grapefruit slice as garnish.
Happy Exploring!
