The Lush Chef

I'm a big fan of having one or two specialty drinks when throwing a cocktail party.  It limits the amount of ingredients you need and expediting drinks a lot faster.  Of course, I'll take special requests (that's just the kind of host I am), but it's a fun way to get your guests to try something new and make your job as host a little easier.  For my Golden Globes party, I did two drinks—one bourbon based and the other with vodka or gin (that recipe will be posted next month).  Not everyone likes bourbon or whiskey like I do, so it's good to try and offer your friends options when it comes to the base spirit.

This Apricot Bourbon Fizz or Kentucky Breakfast Cocktail was created by Jeffrey Morgenthaler at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.  It ended up being the favorite of the night, and probably my new go-to for a light bourbon cocktail.  Also, just because there's the word breakfast in it, doesn't mean you can't have it any time of day!  The ingredients also lend itself to a good, year-round drink.  Now a note about egg whites in drinks.  Don't be weirded out by them—they're there to give cocktails a nice foamy texture and some body.  It makes this drink, so don't try and leave it out!  Since I was making a lot of these, I used half a dozen eggs and took an electric mixer to get them initially beaten up and combined.  The egg whites will settle, but they'll foam back up again when you're adding them to a cocktail.

Apricot Bourbon Fizz - serves 1
Ingredients:

• 2 oz bourbon (I used Bulleit)
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 oz beaten egg white
• 1 tsp apricot preserves

- Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.