Black Eyed Susan

Named after the Maryland state flower, the Black Eyed Susan is to Preakness Stakes what the Mint Julep is to the Kentucky Derby. A wonderful Bourbon and Vodka cocktail, this is a great cocktail for race day or a racing themed party, or for any reason really.

There's a fair amount of juice in this cocktail, so this thing is practically a health drink. That being said, a little bit of prep before making a few of these goes a long way.

Although the Vodka is pretty neutral here and just adds alcohol, a good Bourbon will add a lot of flavour to intermingle with the fruit juices and small amount of sweetness.

Quite simply, this is a wonderful cocktail.

Total Time 5

Servings 1 cocktai

Ingredients

30 mL Vodka
30 mL Bourbon
60 mL Orange Juice
20 mL Lemon Juice
20 mL Lime Juice
20 mL Simple Syrup*
Garnish with cherry and a slice of orange

Instructions

Build this drink in a Rocks glass with plenty of ice.
Add Vodka, Bourbon, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and Simple Syrup to your glass.
Stir until things are mixed and cold.
Add garnish. Enjoy

Notes

*See our easy Simple Syrup recipe.

The Black Eyed Susan has been around since the early 1970's and has gone through a few changes over the years. It always has Vodka and Orange Juice in it, but other juices and ingredients has fluctuated in the past. Some modern versions even have Peach Schnapps in them!

You may see other recipes calling for Sour Mix, which you're welcome to use. However, Sour Mix is just Simple Syrup with Lemon and Lime Juice. To make things a bit easier and clearer, we've just included these ingredients separately. If you prefer to use Sour Mix, use 60 mL of that rather than the 20/20/20 mL of Simple Syrup, Lemon Juice, and Lime Juice we're listing here.

Our Review of the Black Eyed Susan

This looks to be a fun cocktail! Bourbon and Vodka combined? Sounds good…

There’s a lot going on in the Black Eyed Susan, the multiple fruit juices give it an almost Tiki cocktail vibe, even though it’s most definitely not Tiki. Although all three juices are citrus, we all know that Orange, Lemon, and Lime, have their own flavours, but also work very well together. So immediately, the juice core of the cocktail really works. And it is, in fact, a pretty juicy cocktail.

Using both Bourbon and Vodka is an interesting and smart choice for this recipe. Although I think Bourbon is wonderful, it’s important that the juice in the Black Eyed Susan really comes through well. While often you want the spirit to be the centre of attention in a cocktail, having two full measures of Bourbon would likely take away from the other flavours in the drink. So using the Vodka is a great way to add more booze to the cocktail without taking away from the other flavours in the recipe. It’s all about balance.

But that extra addition of Vodka does make the Black Eyed Susan a fairly strong concoction! Not that I’m complaining, and it’s not like there aren’t many other cocktail recipes out there with a total of 60 mL of spirit in them, However, since the Black Eyed Susan is fairly fruit forward, the alcohol is relatively hidden, making this a potentially dangerous drink to have.

If you’re wondering what drink you can make with various ingredients, the Black Eyed Susan is a great way to break out a couple bottles and different juices without having to get too exotic. This is a cocktail that can be enjoyed by people who have enjoyed many cocktails before, or for people who are relatively new to making and drinking cocktails, but want to have the fun of mixing multiple ingredients without having to break the bank.

8/10

Review by Ziggy

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