bourbon sour recipe

The Ultimate Summer Bourbon Sour: The Solstice Sour Recipe

/ bourbonjourney / Leave a comment

Welcome to Episode 76 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails on Your Bourbon Journey! 

Tonight, we are celebrating the official arrival of summer with the Solstice Sour—a deep, complex, and refreshing Amaro-Sour hybrid. If you are ready to move away from overly sweet, bright orchard fruit drinks and step into a sophisticated, highly structured cocktail that stays crisp on hot June nights, this is the pour for yourself.

In this video, we split the base between an incredible high-proof bourbon and a world-class Italian amaro. We are anchoring this expanded build with a full two ounces of Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel (the 7-Year expression), giving the drink an amazing backbone, seasoned oak notes, and a velvety mouthfeel. We pair that punchy proof with Amaro Montenegro, which weaves in a lower-proof botanical complexity of bitter orange peel, coriander, and soft vanilla to mirror a perfect summer sunset. Balanced with fresh squeezed lemon juice, rich Demerara syrup, and dark stone-fruit plum bitters, this spirit-forward cocktail finishes incredibly long, complex, and completely dry.

Grab a bottle of OGD 114, press some fresh citrus, and mix this up tonight. 

Cheers to welcoming summer in all its glory!

Connect With Us & Support The Journey! 


🛒 Featured Cocktail Ingredients & Tools

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out the links below!

🎓 Want to earn a FREE Whiskey Certificate? Start your bourbon education journey with Whiskey University today! Take your first steps here: https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/first-steps

📋 The Solstice Sour Recipe & Ingredients

  • 2 oz Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Featured: Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel 7-Year)
  • 0.75 oz Amaro Montenegro
  • 0.50 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (Always test your lemons for tartness!)
  • 0.50 oz Demerara Syrup
  • 3 Dashes Fee Brothers Plum Cocktail Bitters
  • Garnish: Skewered Luxardo Cherry

🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Combine: Add the bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, fresh lemon juice, Demerara syrup, and plum bitters directly into your cocktail shaking tin.
  2. Shake: Add clean, hard ice and shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds until well-chilled and aerated.
  3. Serve: Strain the cocktail over a single large, clear ice ball into a double rocks glass.
  4. Garnish: Express fresh lemon oils over the rim (discard the peel), top with a skewered Luxardo cherry, and enjoy!

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

NOTE: The spirits and items in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the producers for this review. 

#BourbonCocktails #WhiskeySour #OldGrandDad114 #AmaroMontenegro #YourBourbonJourney #ThirstyThursdayCocktails #SummerCocktails #AmaroSour #CraftCocktailRecipes #BourbonDrinks #CocktailHour #HomeBartender #WhiskeyLovers #SolsticeSour #LuxardoCherry

How to Make The Beekeeper’s Sour | Summer Bourbon Cocktail

/ bourbonjourney / Leave a comment

Welcome to Episode 73 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails with Rebecca on Your Bourbon Journey! We are kicking off the summer season with a whiskey sour!

If you usually avoid honey-flavored whiskey because it’s overly sweet or syrupy, this recipe is for you. Tonight, we are making The Beekeeper’s Sour—a sophisticated, bourbon-forward whiskey sour variant that completely rethinks the honey-whiskey category. By pulling back on the sugar, adjusting the fresh lemon juice, and building a unique split-bitter backbone, we let the 92-proof Kentucky straight bourbon truly shine.

We’re also diving into advanced cocktail textures using gum syrup for a silky mouthfeel and Fee Foam for that perfect, frothy sour head without using egg whites. Plus, you’ll learn how a complex blend of Cardamom bitters and classic Angostura bitters grounds the wildflower honey notes for a crisp, balanced, and refreshing patio sipper.

If you enjoy craft cocktail recipes, bourbon reviews, and learning how to balance home bar drinks, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more whiskey journeys!

🛒 Featured Cocktail Ingredients & Tools

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out the links below!

Connect With Us & Support The Journey! 


🎓 Want to earn a FREE Whiskey Certificate? Start your bourbon education journey with Whiskey University today! Take your first steps here: https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/first-steps

📋 The Beekeeper’s Sour Recipe

  • 2 oz Green River Honey Bourbon
  • 0.50 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (Adjust up to 0.75 oz if your lemons are less tart!)
  • 0.25 oz Gum Syrup
  • 3 dashes Fee Foam (or egg white)
  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers Cardamom Bitters
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters Original
  • Garnish: Dehydrated lemon wheel

🍸 Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Combine the Green River Honey Bourbon, fresh lemon juice, gum syrup, Fee Foam, and both styles of bitters into a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously for 10–12 seconds to achieve perfect chill, heavy aeration, and dilution.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. (Tip: Use a double-strainer if you didn’t pre-strain your fresh lemon juice!)
  4. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel placed flat on top of the beautiful foam layer. Cheers!

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

NOTE:  The spirit featured in this recipe was provided to us as a media sample by the producer for review purposes. We were not compensated for this video, and our opinions remain entirely our own. All other items in this video were purchased by us. 

#WhiskeySour #GreenRiverBourbon #HoneyBourbon #CocktailRecipe #BourbonSour #SummerCocktails #ThirstyThursday #HomeBartender #WhiskeyJourney #CraftCocktails #BourbonWhiskey #CardamomBitters #FeeFoam #DrinkResponsibly #CocktailHour