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    You are here: Home » Cocktails

    Bourbon Cocktail Recipe with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup

    March 13, 2020 By Sean Martin 2 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe

    We love Bourbon Cocktails in our house and this one just made it to the top of the list. A Grilled Lemon simple syrup is the base, then we add our favorite bourbon and a few dashes of cherry bitters. It’s an easy bourbon cocktail recipe and one that will impress anyone.

    Bourbon Cocktail with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup
    Jump to:
    • How to Make Simple Syrup
    • Bitters for a Bourbon Cocktail
    • Making the Bourbon Cocktail
    • Other Great Cocktails
    • Bourbon Cocktail Recipe with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup

    This cocktail is perfect, whether looking for a summer bourbon cocktail, or just something creative while grilling outside. I say that because it is so easy to make. All you need are the grilled lemons and some bourbon. Add a touch of bitters to make the cocktail pop.

    • We start with grilled lemons and use those to make a simple syrup.
    • We then make the cocktail with the simple syrup as the base.

    Or you can use the same base for a classic grilled whiskey smash cocktail.

    How to Make Simple Syrup

    A typical simple syrup uses a ratio of 1 part water to 1 part sugar.

    In this case we modify to include the water and the grilled lemon juice. Because of the natural sugars from the lemon, we also reduce the sugar of a typical simple syrup so it doesn’t come out too overly sweet. Start with our guide on how to grill lemons for the juice and use as base for simple syrup.

    The ratio for the Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup is:

    • 1 part water
    • 1 part grilled lemon juice
    • ¾ part sugar
    Two bottles of grilled lemon simple syrup
    Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup 2 ways (the one on the left is made with Meyer lemons, the darker one on the right is using regular lemons)

    The sugar will dissolve and sweeten the liquid for any cocktail or beverage.

    Simply add the water, grilled lemon juice, and sugar to a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir to incorporate and then cool it down. Store in the fridge for a week or up to 10 days.

    Bitters for a Bourbon Cocktail

    There are many options for bitters. Bitters are a botanically infused liqueur that take on a specific flavor profile to enhance a cocktail. In the case of this one, we use cherry bitters. Any fruit based bitters will work.

    Making the Bourbon Cocktail

    With any cocktail you can either make in a shaker or in the glass and stir. For this one we mix directly in the glass for each drink.

    • Place 3 ice cubes (or a large cocktail cube, using a mold like this) in a low ball glass.
    • Add 2 ½ ounces of bourbon and 2 ½ ounces of grilled lemon simple syrup.
    • Add three dashes of bitters.
    • Stir and enjoy.

    For an easy bourbon cocktail, it doesn’t get better than this. And it is worth the extra step of grilling the lemons.

    Bourbon Cocktails with grilled lemon simple syrup

    Other Great Cocktails

    • Hot Toddy
    • Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider
    • Smoked Old Fashioned
    • Mulled Wine

    Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.

    Fire and Wine Cookbook

    Tried this recipe? Give us a star rating and we would love to see! Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge on all the social media handles. And consider subscribing to our newsletter where we drop all our favorite ideas and inspirations every week.

    This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link, we may receive a small commission if you purchase through the link. We partner with brands we know and love and use and it helps keep the blog going!

    Bourbon Cocktails with Lemon Simple Syrup

    Bourbon Cocktail Recipe with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup

    Grilled lemons infused into a simple syrup and mixed with bourbon and bitters. A great summer cocktail.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 cocktails
    Calories: 369kcal
    Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge
    Cost: $4.00

    Ingredients

    Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup

    • 1 cup water
    • 1 cup grilled lemon juice
    • ⅔ cup cane sugar

    Bourbon Cocktail (Individual Cocktail Portions)

    • 3 cubes ice
    • 2 ½ ounces bourbon
    • 2 ½ ounces lemon simple syrup
    • 3 dashes cherry bitters
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Simple Syrup

    • In a small sauce pan over medium heat combine the water, grilled lemon juice, and sugar. Simmer and stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves (about 10 minutes).
    • Remove from heat and let cool. Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

    For the Bourbon Cocktail

    • In a low ball glass, add ice cubes. Using a cocktail jigger add bourbon and simple syrup to the glass and 3 dashes of the bitters. Stir and enjoy.

    Notes

    The simple syrup yields 2 cups of grilled lemon simple syrup and should be good for up to 6 total cocktails. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 46mg | Sugar: 52g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe? We would love to see!Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Robert says

      June 03, 2021 at 9:04 am

      Are those calories correct? Seems very high.

      Reply
      • Sean Martin says

        June 03, 2021 at 10:42 am

        Looks like the calculator overstated the sugar in the simple syrup and applied to the drink. We just adjusted and validated the new kCal count. Thanks for pointing that out.

        Reply

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    Bourbon Cocktail with grilled lemon simple syrup
    Bourbon Cocktail with grilled lemon simple syrup
    Bourbon Cocktail with grilled lemon simple syrup