Bourbon Renewal
ClassicBourbon, lemon, and crème de cassis. A deep-purple modern whiskey sour.
Tart, fruity, and rounded. Blackcurrant's jammy richness sits against bourbon's vanilla warmth, with lemon keeping the drink bright and a couple of dashes of Angostura adding spice. A sour with real depth and a lovely colour.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Crème de Cassis
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Lemon twist · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add every ingredient to a shaker with ice.
- 2
Shake until well chilled.
- 3
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- 4
Express a lemon peel over the top and drop it in.
The Story
The Bourbon Renewal is a modern classic from the 2000s craft-cocktail scene, associated with Portland, Oregon bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler. It takes the template of the whiskey sour and adds a measure of crème de cassis — blackcurrant liqueur — which stains the drink a deep ruby and lends the bourbon a dark-fruit depth. It remains a go-to for people who find a plain sour a little too sharp.