The millionaire is an old school whiskey drink. Not old fashioned old, but created sometime before 1925. Everyone can thank the top-shelf bar at the London Ritz for this cocktail.

Our millionaire cocktail

The original recipe calls for rye whiskey, but I was in a bourbon mood, so there you go. We choose 1876 Straight Bourbon from Dripping Springs Distilling for this cocktail.

The bourbon is 80% yellow #2 Texas corn and 20% Secale Cereale Oklahoma winter rye. The lack of barley is a unique factor. Even though the rye is at 20%, it does not have the pepper spice characteristic on the tongue. The corn balances the rye to provide a bourbon with enough spice; you know it is there but not enough to burn.

I am not sure if a millionaire would actually drink a millionaire cocktail, but they should. It has great flavor and is easy to make. It has a sweet baked good and chocolate profile. More exactly, it tastes like millionaire shortbread.

My mother in law is Scottish, so that means legit homemade shortbread. Anyone that has had her shortbread knows what I am talking about. Anyways, millionaire shortbread is basically shortbread with chocolate on it.

A quick tip you can substitute liquid egg whites. It beats cracking an egg, separating it, and then figuring out what to do with the yolk.

Ingredients

2.25 oz bourbon or rye

.5 oz Grand Marnier

4 drops grenadine

1 egg white (2 to 4 tablespoons of liquid egg whites)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice – shake well—strain into a glass.

Check out the rye and apple brandy old fashion or other Texas whiskey cocktails you can make at home.