Baby’s First Bourbon
Bourbon, orgeat and fresh lemon meet in a sweet-tart cocktail with a touch of spicy bitters.
Ingredients
- Bourbon60 ml
- Lemon juice, freshly squeezed22.5 ml
- Orgeat22.5 ml
- Aromatic bitters (Angostura)e.g. Angostura4 dashes
- Lemon, for garnish (optional)1 twist
Method
- Pour the bourbon, orgeat, fresh lemon juice and Angostura bitters into a shaker.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 8–10 seconds, until the shaker is ice-cold.
- Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass, or double-strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass for a more spirit-forward serve.
- Express a lemon peel over the drink to release the oils, then add it as a garnish or discard it.
Credit Harvard & Stone, Los Angeles
About this drink
Baby’s First Bourbon was created at the acclaimed Los Angeles bar Harvard & Stone and is now considered a modern classic. Its use of orgeat and bitters links it to the Japanese Cocktail, while bourbon’s sweetness gives it a warmer, more approachable character. Its easy, well-balanced style has made it a favourite with bourbon beginners and devotees alike.
Questions and answers
Why is it called Baby’s First Bourbon?
Orgeat, the sweet almond syrup, and lemon juice noticeably soften bourbon’s bite, making it a gentle introduction to brown spirits for people unused to whiskey’s strength. It is still a proper sour, just with training wheels.
Can you make it without orgeat?
Simple syrup saves the structure, but you lose the nutty almond note that makes the drink special. Look for orgeat in a specialist shop or online before leaving it out entirely.
