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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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!
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.
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.
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!
- Watermelon Bourbon Cooler
- Smoked Cherry
- Bacon Bourbon Cinnamon Rolls
- Maple Old Fashioned
- Roast and Toast
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!
Other Apricot Cocktails
- Apricot Margarita – Creative Culinary
- Apricot Gin & Tonic – Heather Cristo
Other Sour Cocktails
- Cranberry Spiced Whiskey Sour – Salt and Wind
- Rhubarb Bourbon Sour – Salted Plains
- Winter Citrus Sour – Elle Talk
Apricot and Honey Bourbon Sour Cocktail
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.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount 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!