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Strong, unique, and for lovers of whiskey! This Brown Derby cocktail recipe is an intriguing combination of bourbon, grapefruit juice and honey syrup.

Why You’ll Love The Brown Derby

Easy to Make: Shake & chill ingredients, strain into a glass and top by expressing grapefruit oils, and garnish with grapefruit. Simple!
Fun History: Once you learn this recipe’s link to the Golden Age of Hollywood, you’ll share its history with everyone at cocktail hour.
For Grapefruit Cocktail Lovers: If you love grapefruit, the Brown Derby is right up your alley. It’s tart, refreshing, and just a hint sweet, like the Salty Dog and the Greyhound Drink.

Brown Derby

The Brown Derby is a simple, classic cocktail that beautifully combines honey, whiskey, and grapefruit for an intriguing delight. Named after the famed Hollywood hotspot the Brown Derby restaurant during the “Golden Age,” this cocktail harkens the glamour of past glitz and glamour.

Brown Derby Cocktail Ingredients

Bourbon – any bourbon whiskey will do
Grapefruit Juice – fresh-squeezed will do, or bottled is fine.
Honey Syrup – try my honey syrup recipe—it’s easy and can be used in many cocktail recipes.

closeup photo of brown derby drink with a grapefruit garnish

History of the Brown Derby

This cocktail is named after the Brown Derby restaurant, located on the famed Sunset Strip during the “Golden Age” of Hollywood. It was a popular hangout for the famous, with notable celebs such as Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich frequenting it. In fact, famous filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille owned one of these restaurants in the restaurant chain!

But why was the restaurant called “Brown Derby?” The famed Hollywood restaurant was called this because the building it was in featured a dome that looked like a brown derby hat.
Who created the drink? It was created in 1930 at the Vendome Club, a well-known establishment that was owned by Billy Wilkerson, the founder of the Hollywood Reporter and the person credited with making the Sunset Strip what it was during the “Golden Age.”

What is a Brown Derby?

The Brown Derby is a whiskey-based cocktail that’s made with just 3 ingredients: honey syrup, bourbon whiskey, and grapefruit juice. It was once called “De Rigueur,” and over time, came to be known for the current name, after the popular Golden Age Hollywood restaurant. [1] [2]

How to Make a Brown Derby

The Brown Derby is made very simply, with just a few steps an even fewer ingredients. Before getting started, make sure you have honey syrup on hand.

Fill a cocktail shaker about halfway with ice. Then, add bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey syrup to the shaker. Shake until very well chilled and the shaker is coated in condensation.
Strain the cocktail mixture into a chilled coupe glass.

Two photos showing How to Make a Brown Derby – expressing grapefruit oil from grapefruit twist over drink

Next, press and pinch a grapefruit twist between your fingers to express grapefruit oil into your glass. This is one of my favorite parts of making this drink!
Lastly, garnish the with a grapefruit twist. Sip and enjoy the classic Brown Derby drink.

Two photos showing How to Make this drink – placing grapefruit slice garnish on cocktail glass rim

Remember to have a coupe glass on hand for serving, and a grapefruit twist for an impeccable garnish. For more whiskey cocktails, try Irish Mule, Cadillac Margarita, and Moscow Mule with Whiskey.

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If you make this drink, take a pic and share it on Instagram tagging me @beamingbaker and #beamingbaker. I truly can’t wait to see it! ‘Til our next shaken adventure… Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

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