Rosemary Bourbon Back

Warmer nights often take me back to favorite meals shared on the little back patios of restaurants in New York. Of course there’s a special pleasure to eating outside in California, too, but it’s not quite the anticipated occurrence as it is on the East Coast. One of our favorite haunts in Alphabet City was a little spot called Back Forty—which I’m sorry to say has since shuttered. Everything there was delicious, but it was especially nice to sip their namesake cocktail while biting into a grass-fed burger on that little, hidden patio.

Aron and I would occasionally stop in just to linger at the bar, on which occasion we’d try to glean the right proportions for many of their drinks. (Losaida sling, anyone?) Here’s our spin on that eponymous Back Forty, with a hint of rosemary for a little something extra…

Rosemary Bourbon Back
(Adapted from a Back Forty, which is adapted from a whiskey sour)
2 ounces Bourbon
1 ounce lemon juice
4 dashes bitters
4 teaspoons maple syrup, diluted with 2 teaspoons hot water
2 sprigs Rosemary (1 for mixing and 1 for garnish)

As you start shedding layers and eating outside, I hope you’ll try it! It’s lovely with or without the rosemary flowers.

P.S. A New York City Travelogue: The last time we ate there, on a very cold December day when we went for a return visit to the city.

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