Gold Rush Cocktail (a.k.a. Chapel Hill)

When lemon and orange flavoring are mixed with bourbon, good things happen. The GOLD RUSH (EXPANDED) is one such drink and is one of my favorites. If you ask for one at a bar, they’ll hand you a Whiskey Sour sweetened with honey. This Gold Rush is much more, and much better. I’ve expanded it into a very smooth straight-up drink more similar to the lesser-known Chapel Hill, added some orange and sweetened with simple syrup. This citrusy Gold Rush is enjoyed by everyone, even those who ordinarily don’t drink bourbon.

Requirements: Bourbon, Cointreau, simple syrup, lemon juice, orange juice & peel

One large serving:

• 3 x 1.5 oz. (4.5 oz.) bourbon
• 1 x 1.5 oz. Cointreau
• 1 x 1.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 x .75 oz. fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup (or agave syrup)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Combine liquid ingredients. Rim a martini or coup glass with an orange peel and drop it into the glass. Shake drink vigorously and strain into glass (see video tutorial above).

Comments: The proportions above serve about 1.5 martini glasses or a very large coup glass. I suggest the larger portion because it’s usually what everyone prefers. But in consideration of the rather powerful alcohol content in this drink (6 oz. of booze), a smaller serving would translate to the following:

One small(er) serving:

• 2 x 1.5 oz. (3 oz.) bourbon
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 3/4 tsp. simple syrup

ENJOY!