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Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour

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Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by Leah Hall

This is a great sweet tart combo of a cocktail in this honey bourbon sour. Cheers!

 

When people think of stone fruit in the summer, people typically think of peaches, plums and nectarines, but there is one fruit that makes its summery entrance to the culinary stage in a brief but delicious few weeks, the apricot. The apricot is one summer fruit that always seems to be overshadowed by its bigger juicier cousins, but this is one summer fruit that you should definitely not overlook.

 

Honey Bourbon Sour

Sweet with a hint of tartness, the apricot is great for using in cocktails as it can pair up with many spirits, which is why apricots found their way into our Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour!

 

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Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail in rocks glass with mint leaves. Flowers and jigger in background.

Why Use Apricots?

Apricots are a finicky fruit to grow in lots of places thanks to the trees going into bloom early in the spring, which makes them very susceptible to those late season frosts. Since we live in Nebraska, which definitely has all four seasons (and winter always seems to want to be slow to release its grip!) getting apricots fresh off the tree is pretty rare. We were in luck this year when one of our friends handed us a big box of apricots from their trees!

Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail in rocks glass with mint leaves. Flowers in background

Apricots have been long associated with alcohol, with lots of great apricot brandies, liqueurs and even beers on the market, so it was only natural that we decided that our fresh apricots would find their way into a cocktail. Since we don’t have a distillery or a brewery handy in our kitchen, we decided to do the next best thing and make an apricot honey syrup!

 

What Sweetener for the Cocktail

Since apricots can tend to be a little tart, we decided that adding in some honey in the syrup would add a nice sweetness. Honey works really well with the sweet tart apricots and added a nice warm floral sweetness to the honey syrup. Since the apricots aren’t overly juicy and honey can be a little thick, we thinned the whole mixture with a little water and regular white sugar. The sugar and water helped extract the juice from the apricot.

Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail in rocks glass with mint leaves

Rocks Glasses

What Ingredients are Needed for the Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour?

  • Honey Apricot Syrup
    • Apricots
    • Sugar
    • Water
    • Honey
  • Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour
    • Bitters
    • Bourbon
    • Mint
    • Honey Apricot Syrup
    • Lemon Juice

 

The resulting apricot honey syrup was delicious, not overly sweet with a nice honey flavor. With such a deliciously fruity syrup, we wanted to pair it up with a spirit that would play well with fruit and honey, so we chose one of our favorites, bourbon.

 

If you are Looking for More Whiskey Cocktails

 

Bourbon and honey are a winning combination and when you add apricot into the mix, the fruity syrup pulling out the warm caramel notes from the bourbon and enhancing the natural sweetness of the honey. If you like the combo of honey and bourbon try out our Honey Bourbon and Pear Cider Cocktail.

Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail in rocks glass with mint leaves

What Flavors to Use?

Of course a cocktail can’t just be one hundred percent sweet, especially for a summer sipper like the Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour, so we had to add a little tartness to add a real refreshing edge that a classic sour can bring.

If You Are Still Looking for More Bourbon, Try These Recipes!

 

A splash of fresh squeezed lemon juice adds that nice tartness which tied the drink together. The Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour is one summery cocktail that you need to be sipping on!

 

Cheers!

 

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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!

Rhubarb Sour Cocktail

 

A cocktail coupe filled with an Earl Grey Manhattan made with Anchor Distilling Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey.Earl Grey Manhattan

 

Other Apricot Cocktails

Other Sour Cocktails

Apricot Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail, gold cocktail with ice ball in rocks glass, mint leaves. flowers behind
Yield: 1

Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

A great bourbon whiskey cocktail, with honey apricot syrup and lemon juice.

Ingredients

Honey Apricot Syrup

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3-5 apricots pitted and sliced
  • 1 cup water

Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour

  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • .75 ounce honey apricot syrup
  • .50 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 5 drops bitters (we used Dram Apothecary's Hair of the Dog bitters)
  • Mint for garnish

Instructions

For the Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour

Add bourbon, syrup, lemon and bitters into a glass.

Add ice.

Stir to mix.

Garnish with mint sprig.

For the Honey Apricot Syrup

Slice and pit the apricots.

Add apricots, honey, sugar and water to a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for around 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Strain syrup and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 21.3gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 21.3gProtein: 0.1g

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Tia

Saturday 25th of December 2021

Yum! I used apricot preserves and maple syrup. I just mixed the preserves, maple syrup, bitters, bourbon, and lemon with the ice and enjoyed! Delish!

The Noms

Sunday 26th of December 2021

Glad we inspired you, cheers!

diversivore

Wednesday 9th of August 2017

We are in complete agreement over the apricot's status as underappreciated stone fruit. You can do so much with them, and they really shine when they're cooked or added to recipes. We had a cold winter and a long, wet spring, so this year's apricot harvest was ridiculously late (seriously, I can still get local apricots right now), so I'm still playing with them. Despite your correct assertion that they've long been used in alcohols, I've never done much with them in that regard, but I'm inspired to try now - especially alongside bourbon! Cheers.

Whole Food Bellies (@Wholefoodbellie)

Tuesday 8th of August 2017

We love fresh apricots in summer, and I have always used them in cooking but never in a drink. I am loving the sound of that syrup! We have some fancy friends coming over for dinner this weekend, so I am excited to branch out of our normal offerings of beer and wine and whip up a batch of these delicious sounding cocktails!

Sarah @ Champagne Tastes

Monday 7th of August 2017

I saw bourbon and was sold! Haha! And for some reason I STILL haven't found any apricots this year, but I know exactly what I'm making once I see some!!!

Garlic + Zest

Saturday 5th of August 2017

This sounds so delicious! I make a honey thyme simple syrup but apricots sound like an absolutely wonderful summertime diversion. The color of this cocktail is just glorious -- and bourbon. I mean, bourbon! Hello!

The 'Noms.

Sunday 6th of August 2017

Thanks so much! We loved the apricot flavor in this, and it felt so summery to us! And the bourbon, right? I get it, haha! Cheers!

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