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Cocktail History
The Brown Derby is a classic cocktail that was created in the 1930s at the Vendome Club, a social hangout owned by Hollywood Reporter founder Billy Wilkerson. It’s considered to be an American variation of the De Rigueur, another vintage drink first made in France, and it is traditionally made using the sour formula with just three ingredients—bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey. Its name comes from the hat-shaped restaurant that used to be on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Bourbon: This is a type of whiskey made in the United States with at least 51% corn, grains, malted barley, and water. We used Buffalo Trace Distillery Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey because it has a delicious whiskey spice with notes of orange peel, herbs, honey, leather, and oak. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey.
Grapefruit Juice: This is the liquid juice of a grapefruit. We used freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with honey and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s simple recipe.
Grapefruit Twist: This is the peel of a grapefruit that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. We used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
Tasting Notes
The Brown Derby begins with aromas of grapefruit, has a deliciously thick mouthfeel containing the sweet notes of bourbon and honey, and finishes with a bit of spice on the tongue and a distinct lingering honey sweetness.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both much preferred this American-made variation over the De Rigueur; the bourbon and honey work so well together. We could definitely picture ourselves enjoying a few with the Golden Age Greats. The grapefruit is also the perfect citrus for this recipe because it isn’t sharp or bitter enough to leave an impression of its own and instead provides a backdrop for the sweeter flavors to work off.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I made a Brown Derby after we tasted the De Rigueur last year, but I didn’t really like it all that much. I believe I was making a 1:1 honey syrup at that time. Plus I didn’t really love the really subtle grapefruit sweetness with the other two flavors, rather than the loud citric flavor you’d get from a lemon. Sitting down to write a thought out tasting profile this time did help me appreciate and actually really like this drink though. The stronger honey flavor of the 2:1 syrup I used here really helped, and I found that letting the drink sit in your mouth a few extra seconds so the flavors mingle really brought them all out.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I had never tried a Brown Derby before this tasting but had tried the De Rigueur. I remember not liking that one at all, mostly because I don’t like the taste of Scotch. Because the Brown Derby is made with bourbon though, I found it to be a lot easier to drink, especially since it’s sweetened by the grapefruit juice and honey. I would make this again. It’s a great recipe for someone like me who wants to appreciate the taste of bourbon without it burning the back of your throat; this drink is well-balanced so you only feel a hint of the burn as you’re swallowing.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add bourbon, grapefruit juice, honey syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with grapefruit twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Add bourbon, grapefruit juice, honey syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with grapefruit twist.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Shop Glassware & Tools
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More Whiskey Cocktails
If you like this whiskey-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Falling Leaves: A rye cocktail made with Amaro Montenegro, toasted fig syrup, chocolate bitters, and an orange slice
Mountain Man: A bourbon cocktail made with lemon juice, peach liqueur, ginger syrup, maple syrup, and candied ginger
Smashed Pumpkin: A bourbon cocktail made with lemon juice, pumpkin spice syrup, orange bitters, and an egg white
Iron Ranger: A whiskey cocktail made with pineapple juice, lemon juice, velvet falernum liqueur, cinnamon syrup, Angostura aromatic bitters, mint, and a cinnamon stick
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