American Breakfast
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 22.2% ABV ∙
The American Breakfast is a bourbon sour built with pink grapefruit juice and maple syrup, shaken and served over ice with a grapefruit twist. Maple rounds the bourbon's oak up front, then tart pink grapefruit cuts in for a bittersweet, citrusy finish suited to a late brunch pour.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Bourbon 60 mlPink grapefruit juice 15 mlMaple syrup 15 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Express a grapefruit twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard for a full 12-15 seconds since maple syrup is viscous and needs vigorous agitation to fully emulsify and chill properly.
- Strain over one large chilled cube in the old-fashioned glass to slow dilution, since bourbon dominates and shouldn't water down fast.
- Squeeze grapefruit juice fresh right before shaking; bottled juice loses brightness needed to balance the maple syrup's heavy sweetness.
- Express the grapefruit twist's oils over the drink's surface before dropping it in, releasing aromatics that lift the bourbon and maple.
History
The American Breakfast is a variant of the Brown Derby, swapping the honey used in that cocktail for maple syrup and typically adding a grapefruit twist garnish. The Brown Derby itself is said to have been created in the 1930s by a bartender at the Vendome Cafe on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, taking its name from the famous nearby Brown Derby restaurant rather than the bar that served it. Recipe writers treat the maple-sweetened version as a named offshoot of that bourbon-and-grapefruit template, with a Scotch-and-honey version known separately as the De Rigueur.
FAQ
What is in an American Breakfast cocktail?
Bourbon, fresh pink grapefruit juice, and maple syrup, shaken and served over ice in an old-fashioned glass with a grapefruit twist. The maple syrup stands in for a standard syrup, giving the sour a rounder, less sharp sweetness than sugar syrup would.
Is an American Breakfast cocktail shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The grapefruit juice and maple syrup need the vigorous aeration and quick chill of a shake to blend fully; stirring would leave the syrup unincorporated and the drink flat.
What is a good morning or brunch cocktail?
A cocktail built on breakfast-associated flavors like citrus and maple works well for a morning or brunch setting, and the American Breakfast is one example, pairing bourbon with fresh pink grapefruit juice and maple syrup. It is shaken and served over ice, making it lighter in style than a stirred, spirit-forward cocktail.
Is the American Breakfast cocktail vegan?
Yes, this recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free, since it is built from bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, and maple syrup with no dairy or animal-derived ingredients. It comes in at roughly 183 calories per serving.
