by Shaun Layton | As the seasons change, so do our choice of cocktails. With Spring is upon us, our tastes go from dark, strong, and stirred cocktails to those that are bright, refreshing, and shaken. Enter the Brown Derby cocktail…

Hailing from Hollywood in its golden years, the Brown Derby is one of only a few memorable drinks to have graduated from Southern California. Though not widely known for having a craft cocktail scene, LA did indeed have one, and if you know where to go, it still has one (avoid the “gimme a Goose and Red Bull, chief!” places that are a dime a dozen and check out place like The Varnish, The Roger Room, and Seven Grand).

The Brown Derby cocktail was named after the the famous hat-shaped watering hole in Hollywood that was founded between-the-wars by Wilson Mizner. The funny thing is that it got its name at another joint – the competition, so to speak – another LA celeb hotspot called The Vendôme Club, where stars like Canadian-born Mary Pickford and partner Douglas Fairbanks were regulars (they both also have cocktails named after them, but that’ll be another article one day). Legend has it that one night, Herbert Somborn, an ex-husband of Gloria Swanson, remarked how one “could open a restaurant in an alley and call it anything. If the food and service were good, the patrons would just come flocking. It could be called something as ridiculous as the Brown Derby…”

The Savoy cocktail book has a cocktail called De Rigueur that predates the Brown Derby and has the same ingredients, so purists (and nerds) may call the latter a copy. But you know what? It’s got a great story, so I’m sticking with it. Learn how to make it after the jump…

The Brown Derby

60 ml Makers Mark bourbon
30 ml fresh grapefruit juice (use ruby red if possible)
25 ml honey syrup
5 ml fresh lime juice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake vigorously, double strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a slice of fresh ruby red grapefruit.

I favour a wheated Bourbon like Maker’s Mark for this cocktail. The lighter, sweeter profile of Maker’s lends itself well to the citrus, floral notes of the supporting cast of ingredients. You absolutely must use fresh juice (the recipe doesn’t call for lime, but I think it needs a little more acidity, just so long as you’re OK paying over a buck a lime these days, thanks Mexican drug cartels!).

For honey syrup simply add hot water to honey and stir (3 parts honey, 1 part water). I use creamed honey, as it has a silky-sweet mouthfeel. Try this with different honeys, as they can really change the flavour of any cocktail. Lastly, The Brown Derby also works great with other types of whiskey. If you have a spicy American rye on hand, give it a shot!