Skip to main content

Old Pepper

4.5

(4)

Photo of Old Pepper bourbon cocktail with crushed ice in a rocks glass
Photo by Julie Soefer

This bourbon cocktail isn’t technically a Southern classic, but it drinks so much like one. The cocktail was actually created at a modern speakeasy in New York City called Milk & Honey, but every time I serve it at an event in the South, people absolutely love it.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

For the Turbinado Syrup:

2 cups Sugar in the Raw turbinado
1 cup water

For the cocktail:

1½ oz. 80-proof bourbon
¾ oz. Turbinado Syrup
½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ oz. Crystal hot sauce
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Garnish: 1 chile de arbol

Preparation

  1. To make the cocktail: Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice. Pour the bourbon, syrup, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes. Cover and shake vigorously 20 times. Strain into the glass. Place the straw in the glass. To garnish, place the chile on the ice.

cover of Julep cocktail book
From Julep: Southern Cocktails Refashioned by Alba Huerta, copyright © 2018. Photography by Julie Soefer. Published by Lorena Jones Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Bathe greens and chickpeas in a garlicky, tomato-enhanced broth. Stretch a block of Halloumi by grating and toasting it into a topping for the soup.
This spicy blackberry margarita gets its heat from a chile de árbol, shaken with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.
The high-impact flavors traditionally used in the marinade for Peruvian chicken—soy sauce, cumin, and paprika—are applied to grilled tofu with resounding success.
Add a bag of potato chips and you've got yourself a party.
A strip of lemon zest balances this refreshing spring classic.
This garlicky shrimp scampi version of a classic bisque embraces the technique of blending seafood shells for a luxuriously silky and creamy end result.
Extra vino? Simmer it into a spiced syrup and pour over ice cream for an elegant dessert.
Berbere is a spicy chile blend that has floral and sweet notes from coriander and cardamom, and when it’s paired with a honey glaze, it sets these wings apart from anything else you’ve ever had.