Plum Bitters recipes

The Ultimate Summer Bourbon Sour: The Solstice Sour Recipe

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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!

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📋 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. 

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Spring in a Glass: The Vernal Equinox Bourbon Sour

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Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring! 🌸 The Vernal Equinox Cocktail

Is your palate still wearing a heavy winter coat? It’s time to trade the leather jacket for something bright, crisp, and vibrant! In Episode 63 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails, Rebecca from Your Bourbon Journey introduces The Vernal Equinox—a sophisticated, spirit-forward riff on the classic whiskey sour that celebrates the return of the light.

This isn’t your average sugary fruit punch. By using Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond as a high-rye foundation and swapping traditional simple syrup for the jammy, sophisticated notes of Starlight Blackberry Whiskey, we create a “Dark Fruit Transition” that is perfectly balanced by fresh lemon and floral plum bitters. Plus, we’re achieving that luxurious, pillowy “cloud layer” using Fee Foam for a silky mouthfeel without the egg white.

In this video, you’ll learn:

  • How to balance tart citrus with craft fruit whiskeys.
  • The secret to a “Dry Shake” for perfect cocktail texture.
  • Why a high-rye, 100-proof bourbon is the best anchor for spring flavors.

Love this build? Hit that SUBSCRIBE button and ring the bell so you don’t miss next week’s Episode 64: The Desert Bloom, where we’ll be using unique desert fruit syrups to keep the springtime vibes rolling!

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📖 The Recipe: The Vernal Equinox

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon (or your favorite high-rye bourbon)
  • 0.5 oz Starlight Blackberry Whiskey (The “Modifier”)
  • 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters
  • 3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam (for that silky head)

Instructions:

  1. Combine: Add bourbon, blackberry whiskey, lemon juice, plum bitters, and Fee Foam into a shaker.
  2. Dry Shake: Shake without ice first to build that frothy, pillowy foam.
  3. Wet Shake: Add ice and shake vigorously to chill and dilute.
  4. Strain: Double-strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass over one large, clear ice rock.
  5. Garnish: Express a lemon peel over the glass and drop it in (or add a fresh blackberry) to keep it bright!

🛒 Featured Cocktail Ingredients & Tools

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

🚨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. Please drink responsibly.

#CocktailRecipes #BourbonLover #WhiskeySour #SpringCocktails #HomeBartender #StarlightDistillery #OldGrandDad #ThirstyThursday #Mixology #BlackberryWhiskey #BourbonJourney #DrinkResponsibly #CraftCocktails #VernalEquinox #BartenderTips