Bourbon Crusta

Wipe a cut lemon around the outside edge only, then roll the outside of the glass through a saucer of superfine sugar, holding it at an angle. Keep the inner wall dry. Sugar that falls in makes the last third cloying. Do the rim first and chill the glass while you work.

Not really. Maraschino is loud out of all proportion to its volume, which is why it gets measured in single milliliters, and it is the thing separating this from a bourbon sour with a sugared rim. A sweet cherry liqueur stands in at the same 4 ml, redder and rounder.

Because the rim is doing part of the sour's job in reverse. Sugar arrives first, so the drink needs less acid to feel settled, and at 45 ml of bourbon against 15 of lemon it lands short and rich rather than bright. Push the lemon to 22 ml and you have a sour with a sugared rim.

Yes. That volume before dilution is the format, not a mistake. Crustas were poured into small glasses, and the sugared rim plus 12 ml of liqueur makes it drink rich rather than thin. Two of them is a normal evening. If yours looks lost in the coupe, that is the coupe's fault and not the recipe's.

A classic Bourbon Crusta calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Bourbon, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Triple sec / Cointreau, 4 ml (0.25 oz) Maraschino liqueur, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 1 dash Angostura Angostura bitters. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Bourbon Crusta is roughly 34% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Bourbon Crusta is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.