Gold Rush . . . Smash?

Yesterday we went to the mall to get some back-to-work clothes for Teresa. We brought six diapers. They lasted about 90 minutes. We hurried through the last few stores but I think bought Teresa what she needed.

Drink nomenclature is confusing. I made a Gold Rush but with mint . . . or a Bourbon Smash with ginger liqueur. This last sentence is only true if one understands a Gold Rush to mean ginger liqueur, bourbon, and lemon juice, not honey syrup, bourbon, and lemon juice, which I've seen called a Gold Rush. A Bourbon Smash is like a Mojito (rum, sugar, lime) but with bourbon rather than rum and lemon rather than lime.

A Gold Rush . . . Smash is essentially a sour with mint. Dale DeGroff says sours are 1 1/2 - 2 ounces spirits, 3/4 ounce sour ingredients, and 1 ounce sweet ingredients. I'm happy to defer to Dale DeGroff but you can find other bartenders using different ratios. Additionally, to complicate sours, some ingredients act as both a sweet and a strong -- for example, ginger and orange liqueurs. Ultimately, all that matters is that the drink tastes good, and this one does.

Gold Rush .  . . Smash

• 1 1/2 ounces ginger liqueur (Domaine de Canton)
• 1 ounce bourbon
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 4 mint leaves

Muddle ingredients; strain into a rocks glass on ice. Note: Domaine de Canton suggests stir and serving in a cocktail glass. I don't know why but I make this drink frequently and never serve it in a cocktail glass.