Patrick Poelvoorde, assistant beverage director at Park Tavern, had this to say about working with Anchor Distilling's new Hirsch Small Batch Bourbon:

When musing on the best way in which to showcase Anchor Distilling's nuanced products, one immediately thinks of luxurious, spirit-driven libations consumed in dark, well-worn bars. I went the other direction, utilizing the structure of the New York Sour as a platform for raising the flavor profiles of both the Hirsch Small Batch Bourbon and the Maurin Red Vermouth. This revival classic cocktail, which has been known by a number of aliases over the years, originated in Chicago in the 1870s. A variant of the whiskey sour, it was so popular by the end of the 19th century that most Windy City imbibers expected all sours to come with a "snap," or float of wine.

In this recipe, I have replaced the claret with the vermouth, which will concentrate on the bottom of the glass, as opposed to the classic presentation with the wine on top. To further tie in the ingredients, I replaced the simple syrup with an orange-scented maple syrup in order to marry the citrus peel in the Maurin with the woody maple flavor of the Hirsch. I think you should enjoy this tipple as I do, outside basking in the partly sunny San Francisco summer. Cheers!

Second City Sour
2 oz. Hirsch Small Batch Bourbon
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz. orange scented maple syrup
1 oz. Maurin Red Vermouth

Combine all the first three ingredients in a shaker and add cold ice. Shake until well chilled 10-30 seconds depending on the quality of the ice. Strain in to a collins glass and slowly pour the vermouth into the glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

*To make the orange scented maple syrup, combine 6 oz. of grade B maple syrup, 6 oz. filtered water and the peel of one orange, with a minimum amount of pith in a non-reactive pan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before using. This syrup will keep for one month if refrigerated.