It's a hat AND a drink.

I'm always up for a new bourbon cocktail, so when Nick and Louisa suggested we try one at their hotel last week, who was I to refuse? They were staying at The Surrey, which has this nifty in-room cocktail service where you order a bottle of booze and in-room dining provides the cocktail's other ingredients. So cool.

We decided to try the Brown Derby, a bourbon cocktail named for the restaurant where it was invented, the legendary Hollywood eatery. Made with grapefruit, bourbon and honey, it seemed an intriguing blend of sour and sweet, a sort of pucker-inducing twist on a bourbon sidecar.

We were right! The cocktail is a boozy delight, garnished with a grapefruit twist for an extra kick of bitter-sour-citrus bite and fairly alcohol-forward, thanks to, well, all that bourbon. A perfect winter cocktail, and with grapefruits coming into season shortly, I plan to try this one at home - soon.

Brown Derby

2 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. honey
Grapefruit twist (a 1-inch section of peel, minus the bitter pith)

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake gently until condensation appears on the side of the shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve immediately.

Serves one.