The Bourbon Go-Kart - Or, the not quite a sidecar

Ingredients:
2 oz Bourbon - Woodford Reserve recommended
1 oz Orange Curaçao - DeKuyper, or similarly inexpensive

1 oz Fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

Add bourbon, orange curaçao, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with crushed ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled standard cocktail glass.

Description:

While extremely similar to a bourbon sidecar, this differs in the proportion of ingredients.  Specifically, the goal of the go-kart is to excel past the cheap orange liqueur (a common problem in many homes and bars), and let the bourbon shine with the lemon juice.  There's a reason so many classic cocktails pair bourbon with lemon...the lemon oils elevate the vanilla of the bourbon while the acid brightens and counters the alcohol bite.

As for bourbon selection, Woodford Reserve is a great choice for its strong vanilla nose.  It's also a quality bourbon for it's price range.  I've tried this cocktail with Baker's 7 year, and while it was good, my current bottle of Baker's leans to the oak and leather side, with noticeably less vanilla in the nose.  Not bad, but the Woodford is the better match for this drink.

And as you may have noticed, unlike most sidecar recipes, I called for crushed ice...I personally think the slight looseness added by using crushed ice helps to keep this a very light and refreshing drink.  Definitely at the top of my warm weather cocktail list.

Enjoy!  And let me know what you think.