Gold Rusher
San Francisco's Fernet obsession, poured into a Gold Rush.
The Method
How to make it
- 01
Combine bourbon, lemon juice, honey syrup, and Fernet-Branca in a shaker with ice.
- 02
Shake until well chilled.
- 03
Strain into a rocks glass over one large cube.
- 04
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in.
Bartender's Tip
Warm the honey before mixing the syrup or it will seize in the shaker. And don't push the Fernet past ½ oz — beyond that it flattens the honey completely.
A Little History
San Francisco drinks more Fernet-Branca per capita than anywhere else in the United States — a habit rooted in the city's Italian-American North Beach community. The Gold Rusher is the local tribute: the Gold Rush cocktail, itself named for the same era, given a Bay Area accent.
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One short Friday dispatch: a bottle worth buying, a cocktail worth mixing, and a little Italian history.
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