Some drinks arrive with a story, and this one arrives with a feeling: the first evening of the year when you finally light the fire. The Honey Ember is a new bourbon sour built around honey, bright lemon and a splash of Amaro Montenegro, and it is every bit as cozy as it sounds.
What Is the Honey Ember?
Think of it as a bourbon sour with a little extra warmth. Honey gives the drink body, lemon keeps it lively, and the amaro adds gentle notes of orange peel, vanilla and baking spice. The result is golden, balanced and wonderfully easy to sip. It sits happily alongside the Apple Cider Whiskey Sour on an autumn drinks list.
Choosing Your Bourbon
A bourbon with some rye in the mash adds a peppery edge that plays beautifully against the honey. Our guide to the best high-rye bourbons is a great place to start. If you prefer a softer, rounder sip, a wheated bourbon makes the drink silkier and sweeter on the finish.
When to Serve the Honey Ember
The Honey Ember is made for Thanksgiving weekend, bonfire nights and long dinners that drift into dessert. It is a lovely addition to our Thanksgiving cocktails, and it is just as welcome on a quiet Tuesday. For more bourbon-led favorites, try the Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned or the Seelbach Cocktail.
Why Lush Life Loves It
The honey is generous without being sweet, the lemon keeps every sip lively, and the Amaro Montenegro adds a whisper of orange peel and spice that makes you slow down. It takes five minutes to make and is a wonderful way to show friends who think they don’t love bourbon everything the spirit can do.
Here is the recipe
Honey Ember
Ingredients
- 2 ounce bourbon
- ½ ounce Amaro Montenegro
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- ½ ounce honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water, cooled)
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Orange peel, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the bourbon, amaro, lemon juice, honey syrup and bitters to a shaker filled with ice.
- Shake hard for about 12 seconds, until the shaker is frosty.
- Strain over one large ice cube in a chilled rocks glass.
- Express an orange peel over the surface, then drop it in.