speakeater.
Mixologist · 2002 · Manhattan

Gold Rush.

Sasha Petraske's Milk & Honey produced the Gold Rush, the Penicillin, and the Whiskey Smash. Three drinks that built a generation of.

Spirit
Bourbon
Glass
Old Fashioned
ABV
~26%
Prep
3 min
Era
Mixologist
Quick answer

The Gold Rush is a mixologist cocktail from Manhattan, 2002. Built on bourbon, served in a old fashioned, around 26% ABV. Sasha Petraske's Milk & Honey produced the Gold Rush, the Penicillin, and the Whiskey Smash. Three drinks that built a generation of bartenders. T.J.

Ingredients

What goes in a Gold Rush?

Method

How do you make a Gold Rush?

  1. Add all to a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake hard until very cold.
  3. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
Pair it with dinner Cornbread and honey butter, or pecan-crusted catfish. Honey echoes honey.
Bartender's notes

What should you know before making a Gold Rush?

History

Where did the Gold Rush come from?

Sasha Petraske's Milk & Honey produced the Gold Rush, the Penicillin, and the Whiskey Smash. Three drinks that built a generation of bartenders. T.J. Siegal made the first Gold Rush for himself, off-menu, at the bar's request that bartenders riff on classics during slow shifts. The drink is essentially a bourbon Bee's Knees: substitute bourbon for gin, the rest is identical.

According to T.J. Siegal, Milk & Honey, Lower East Side Manhattan, 2002.

Variations

What cocktails are similar to a Gold Rush?

Gold Rush Sour
Add an egg white and dry-shake. Foamier, slightly sweeter.
Brown Derby
Replace lemon with grapefruit. A 1930s Hollywood riff with the same honey-citrus frame.
FAQ

Common questions.

What is a Gold Rush cocktail?

A bourbon sour built on honey instead of sugar. Two ounces of bourbon, three-quarters of an ounce of fresh lemon juice, three-quarters of an ounce of honey syrup, shaken and strained over a large ice cube.

Who invented the Gold Rush?

T.J. Siegal at Milk & Honey on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in 2002. Siegal made it off-menu for himself before it spread.

What's the difference between a Gold Rush and a Bee's Knees?

The Gold Rush uses bourbon. The Bee's Knees uses gin. Otherwise the recipe is identical: spirit, fresh lemon juice, honey syrup, equal proportions.

How do you make honey syrup for a Gold Rush?

Stir two parts honey with one part hot water until fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate up to two weeks. Use a floral honey, not commodity clover.

Kyle Schulgen Founder, Speakeater
Builder of Speakeater, the cooking app for people tired of asking what's for dinner. Hand-transcribes pre-Prohibition cocktail manuscripts as a hobby, ships them in the app's cellar.
Last updated: 2026-05-02

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