The Gold Rush – A Camp Cocktail

It was just around the 100 mile mark on the John Muir Trail and we were setting up a quick camp near Marie Lake. Eight days in, not quite to the halfway point, and absolutely stoked over alpine lakes, intense elevation changes, and the reward awaiting us – the highest point in the lower 48, we looked to settle in early and get back on the trail by daybreak. We set up camp and scrambled down the rocky shoreline to relax in the cold, high-country water. As we soaked our tired legs my hiking partner started laughing. I looked over just as he fished out a 6-pack of Modelo that had been sunk into the water by a shallow rock outcropping.

This is an incredibly challenging hike, even for the well-seasoned and experienced. The John Muir Trail, and most of the areas it traverses, require permits that are both difficult to obtain and must be obtained well in advance. There were no other campers or hikers in sight, so we had to assume that these beers were either forgotten or left there intentionally as a gift to the lucky hikers who would find them as we did. Trail magic is one of life’s great beauties.

We soaked our legs until the aches faded and then we trekked back up to our campsite. We refueled with a quick meal of Mountain House backpacker dinners, tuna on pita bread, and Hershey bars. After that, we slowly sipped three beers apiece, savoring the unexpected gifts of the mountains. If you spend enough time in nature you will eventually find yourself bestowed with blessings. It would be irresponsible and arrogant to reject them.

A Bit of Karma

In case you think we misread the situation and inadvertently stole someone’s beer, remember that nature strives for balance. A few years later we were canoeing and camping in Montana. We took on the Blackfoot River at high water, got swamped, and dumped into a churning Class III+. Total failure. We saved our boat and most of our supplies, but we lost a 30-pack cube of Pabst. The remainder of the trip was wonderful, though sadly lacking in beer. But we consoled ourselves with the thought that somewhere down the line, maybe days, weeks, or months from then, some folks would be out there fly fishing in the blue ribbon trout river, only to find a bunch of Blue Ribbon cans floating their way.

The wilderness is the wilderness. The river keeps on flowing. I’m a couple decades older now and I’m no longer cut out for thru-hiking, for big whitewater, or for simply disappearing into the wild for a few weeks at a time. Though that comes with a bit of disappointment, I recognize how fortunate I am to have had countless experiences in nature’s freedom. And with age and experience comes patience and a more inherent mindfulness of every moment, so although my excursions into the wild now might be reserved for long weekends, they come with a fuller appreciation of this world’s dynamic, rugged beauty.

I still embark on the occasional multiday backcountry adventure, but I can’t rely on finding a 6-pack in a mountain lake, and a poorly packed drink supply might disappear into the river. Planning drinks for drive-in camping is simple – a cooler of beers is about as easy as it gets. A flask is a straightforward way to enjoy a few well-deserved sips upon reaching a hike-in campsite. I prefer my drink neat, which works out because except for certain seasons and locations there’s no ice available anyway. Recently, a coworker asked me to adapt a cocktail for the backwoods, and I decided to give it a shot. Modifications and compromises will have to be made, but the ability to quickly adapt on the fly is a crucial skill for both the home bar and the wilderness.

The Gold Rush

It would be easy to assume that the Gold Rush is a classic cocktail. With bourbon, honey, and lemon, it seems like it might date back well over a century. In reality, this basic twist on the classic Whiskey Sour was first given a name and a regular spot on the menu in the early 2000s at Milk & Honey, a New York bar at the forefront of the cocktail renaissance of that era. With a new millennium came a new generation of mixologists – liquor artists who built on centuries of history, incorporated contemporary flavors and philosophies, and gifted us all an amazing array of craft cocktails. The cocktail bar scene was suddenly once again vibrant.

The smart move is always to practice at home before you head out into nature. Practice building a fire, practice setting up your tent or shelter, practice using your supplies, practice reading a map and basic land navigation, and practice mixing your cocktails. Don’t practice until you get it right – practice until you can’t get it wrong. So before I made a backwoods Gold Rush I worked on the original recipe from the comfort of home.

The Gold Rush (original version)

Ingredients:

2oz bourbon

3/4oz honey

A splash of water

3/4oz lemon juice

Ice

Lemon peel garnish

Pour honey into an empty shaker

Add a splash of water and stir until blended

Pour in bourbon and lemon juice

Add ice and shake until frosty

Strain into a rocks glass with ice

Garnish with lemon peel and enjoy

It’s a Great Drink, But Let’s Take it Outside

The Gold Rush (backpacking edition)

Ingredients:

2oz rye

1oz honey

A splash of water

Juice from 3/4 of a lemon

Before I jump into the play-by-play I’ll explain why I altered the recipe. First, I swapped out the bourbon for rye. In the original Gold Rush there are three primary flavor profiles: sweet, sweet, sour. The slowly melting ice cube balances out that 2-to-1 sweetness, tempering it as you sip. With no ice in the forest, the subtle spice of rye will create a nice balance of flavors.

I also increased the amount of honey from 3/4oz to a full ounce. This decision was based entirely upon my supplies. I’m not going to stash a jar of honey in my backpack, but I have a few packs of Nature Nate’s Honey Minis – half-ounce packets of raw, unfiltered honey. Using a packet and a half would be both wasteful and messy.

Finally, I just eyeballed the amount of lemon juice, guessing within a reasonable margin of error that 3/4 of a lemon will be just fine. This decision was based on the need to get a good, strong sour flavor into the mix, but not worrying at all about absolute precision while making a drink among the trees.

Pour honey into your cup

Add a splash of water and stir until blended

Add rye

Squeeze in your lemon juice

Stir everything together

Sip and enjoy

One slightly important note: set up your campsite before you start drinking. Additionally, make sure you have a sealable bag for your trash and a bear bag/canister depending on your location. Of course, if you prefer to stumble through your tent setup and share your site with bees, ants, and bears, feel free to disregard.

A good hiking trip and a good cocktail have a few things in common, perhaps most notable is that they force us to slow down, observe and enjoy our surroundings, and to take in the peace and beauty that surround us – the peace and beauty that we all too often take for granted. The Gold Rush might be a relatively new cocktail, but it fits right in with the timeless wonder of the natural world. Get outside and make yourself a drink. The more we seek out silence and life’s simple pleasures, the more we’ll find peace and happiness in our hectic everyday lives.