Brown Derby

The Brown Derby cocktail dates to Prohibition, though drinks historians disagree on the particulars of its debut. In his 2002 book, The Craft of the Cocktail, legendary bartender Dale DeGroff writes that the drink was created in 1930 at Los Angeles’s iconic Vendôme Club, which stood near legendary celebrity haunt the Brown Derby restaurant, whence the drink got its name. The recipe’s inclusion in Hollywood Cocktails, a 1933 book by George Buzza Jr., strengthens his theory. Confusingly, however, an identical drink appeared under the name The De Rigueur Cocktail in Harry Craddock’s seminal Savoy Cocktail Book, which was published in 1930.

Considered a classic bourbon cocktail recipe, this grapefruit-scented drink is not only tasty, it’s also easy to adapt with whatever’s in your bar cart. Substitute Irish or Tennessee whiskey. Or try rye for a more peppery sip. The sweetener here is straight honey, not honey syrup, and it’s important to stir it into the room-temperature liquids before adding ice (otherwise, the sweetener may clump). By all means, use freshly squeezed grapefruit juice here, nothing bottled—if you are making these for a party, feel free to squeeze the juice up to four hours ahead. Serve the Brown Derby in a Nick & Nora or coupe glass and express a grapefruit or lemon twist over the top of the cocktail glass.