Black Eyed Susan Cocktail: the Preakness drink

Whether or not you’re a horse racing fan, this black-eyed Susan cocktail is one you must try. With its fruity flavors and bright yellow color it is a refreshing sipper for most any time.

What is a Black Eyed Susan Cocktail?

A black-eyed Susan cocktail is the official drink of the Preakness horse race. It is a combination of bourbon, peach schnapps, orange juice and sour mix. Tastes like sweet peaches with a tangy sweet flavor of orange juice combined. There is not a strong liquor flavor in this drink.

The triple crown which is three of the premier horse races for the year has an official drink for each of the races. The black-eyed Susan cocktail is the official drink for the Preakness race. The Preakness is held in Maryland and Maryland’s official flower is the Black eyed Susan hence the name of this drink.

Peach schnapps is simply a schnapps that is infused with a strong sweet peach flavor. Schnapps itself is a clear neutral base spirit. It tends to be a lower alcohol by volume liqueur.

Bourbon is a type of whiskey. There are different types of bourbon, but It always has to be comprised mostly of corn.It always has to be comprised mostly of corn. Additionally, it is aged in oak barrels. Bourbon tends to be slightly sweet and smooth with caramel undertones.

Sour mix is essentially a combination of a citrus juice typically lemon, but sometimes lime and sugar. Store-bought sour mix tends to have coloring added to it so that it is a bright yellowish color.

In terms of what type of orange juice to use for this drink, fresh and pulp free is the best. The fresher the orange juice the sweeter and better taste your cocktail will have. And using pulp free orange juice guarantees a smooth textured drink.

When to Make This Drink:

This cocktail is easy to make and a refreshing drink. It suits a variety of occasions well such as:

• watching the Preakness, of course.
• brunch
• barbecues or pool parties
• spring or summer get togethers

Variations:

Despite the fact that this drink is well known and has been around for quite some time, there are a large variety of different variations used. They can very based on ingredients and amount of ingredients included. Some variations are:

• Use an orange liqueur. Using an orange liqueur such as triple sec or Cointreau is common in this drink. Typically if an orange liqueur is used the sour mix is left out.
• Use vodka. Many recipes for this cocktail use vodka in addition to the other liquors.
• Use rum. Some recipes use a light rum instead of bourbon. This is a less common substitution, but does happen.
• Use pineapple juice. Many variations of this drink call for pineapple juice in addition to orange juice. Typically in these recipes either peach schnapps and or sour mix is left out.
• Make your own sour mix. You can make your own sour mix by using lemon juice and simple syrup.

A few similar cocktails are: the fuzzy navel cocktail and the hairy navel cocktail

How to make this drink:

All it takes to make this drink is to toss your four ingredients into a glass and get them all start together. You should be able to whip this one up in 3 minutes or less.

Equipment:

• highball glass
• jigger
• cocktail shaker
• Hawthorne strainer
• bar spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 oz boubon
• 1 oz peach schnapps
• 2 oz orange juice
• 2 oz of Sour mix
• optional garnish: orange and cherry
• Ice

Instructions:

Step one

As you’re getting started, make sure you have everything needed to make this drink including orange juice, bourbon, peach schnapps, sour mix, highball glass, jigger, ice and a cocktail shaker and hawthorn strainer or bar spoon.

Step two

Grab some ice and use it to fill both your cocktail shaker and highball glass. Both should be almost to the top with ice.

Note: The best way to build a strength is straight in your cocktail shaker. However, you can build it in the glass.

The instructions below will be for building it in the cocktail shaker, but if you want to build it in your glass simply toss your ingredients into the glass and then use a bar spoon to stir them together.

Step three

Using your jigger, go ahead and measure out 1 oz of bourbon. Dump the bourbon into your cocktail shaker with your ice.

Step four

Using your jigger, go ahead and measure out 1 oz of peach schnapps. Dump the peach schnapps into your cocktail shaker with the bourbon and ice.

Step Five

Using your jigger, measure out 2 oz of orange juice. Dump the orange juice into your cocktail shaker with a peach schnapps, bourbon and ice.

Step six

Using your jigger, measure out 2 oz of sour mix. Dump the sour mix into your cocktail shaker with the orange juice, peach schnapps, bourbon and ice.

Step seven

Grab your shaker lid and place it on top of the shaker. Shake it well for around 15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker is cold to the touch.

Step eight

Remove the lid of the shaker and replace it with a Hawthorne strainer. Then, strain your drink from your shaker into your highball glass. Enjoy!

Recipe