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We love Bourbon Cocktails in our house, and this one just made it to the top of the list. A Grilled Lemon simple syrup starts as the base, and then we add our favorite bourbon and a few dashes of cherry bitters. It’s an easy and refreshing bourbon cocktail recipe and one that will impress anyone.

This cocktail is perfect whether you’re looking for a summer bourbon cocktail or just something creative while grilling outside. I say that because it is so easy to make. All you need are the grilled lemons and some bourbon. Add a touch of bitters to make the cocktail pop.

• We start with grilled lemons and use those to make a simple syrup.
• We then make the cocktail with the simple syrup as the base.

Or you can use the same base for a classic grilled whiskey smash cocktail.

How to Make Simple Syrup

A typical simple syrup uses a ratio of 1 part water to 1 part sugar.

In this case, we modify to include the water and the grilled lemon juice. Because of the natural sugars from the lemon, we also reduce the sugar of a typical simple syrup so it doesn’t come out too overly sweet. Start with our guide on how to grill lemons for the juice and use them as a base for the simple syrup.

The ratio for the Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup is:

• 1 part water
• 1 part grilled lemon juice
• 3/4 part sugar

The sugar will dissolve and sweeten the liquid for any cocktail or beverage.

Simply add the water, grilled lemon juice, and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat, stir to incorporate, and then cool it down. Store in the fridge for a week or up to 10 days.

Bitters for a Bourbon Cocktail

There are many options for bitters. Bitters are a botanically infused liqueur that take on a specific flavor profile to enhance a cocktail. In the case of this one, we use cherry bitters. Any fruit based bitters will work.

Making the Bourbon Cocktail

With any cocktail, you can either make it in a shaker or in the glass and stir. For this one, we mix directly in the glass for each drink.

• Place 3 ice cubes (or a large cocktail cube, using a cocktail ice mold) in a lowball glass.
• Add 2 1/2 ounces of bourbon and 2 1/2 ounces of grilled lemon simple syrup.
• Add three dashes of bitters.
• Stir and enjoy.

For an easy bourbon cocktail, it doesn’t get better than this. And it is worth the extra step of grilling the lemons.

Other Great Cocktails

• Hot Toddy
• Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider
• Smoked Old Fashioned
• Mulled Wine

About Vindulge

Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.

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