Breakfast Republic wakes up the sleepy sipper

Whiskey isn’t just for breakfast anymore; however, the amber-hued wake-up call remains an institutional fixture in the land of Breakfast Republic.

According to Brock Harold, bar manager at Breakfast Republic’s Ocean Beach location, the Whiskey Sunny Side Up not only reimagines the age-old observance of ante meridiem distillations but the drink’s presentation also helps orientate the sleepy-eyed sipper toward the restaurant’s more usual morning fare.

“It’s got whiskey, raw eggs, and an orange peel sitting on top of it that, with the layer of foam, looks just like a sunny-side up egg,” Harold says.

Developed by a mixological confederation of minds at Breakfast Republic, the Sunny Side Up has cultivated a cult following, says Harold.

“Once people watch me start to make it, the entire bar top will start ordering it,” he says. “It’s a very beautiful-looking drink with a white layer of foam followed by this ring of red port wine followed by a buttery yellow color at the bottom. It has a lot of eye appeal.”

But taste confirms what sight only suspects.

“You’re going to taste tart and sour at first and as you swallow you’re going to get the sweetness of the wine to follow,” he says. “Then on the nose is going to be a very bourbon-forward drink. It will start sour but finish sweet.”

The port wine, Harold adds, serves as the hidden yet unifying principle to the drink.

“Without port wine, it would taste like lemon and bourbon,” he says. “With port wine, the drink has a savory tart sweetness that follows the tartness of the drink. When the whiskey sour was originally made, back before Prohibition, it was always floated with cabernet or port wine. So besides tasting good, the drink also keeps to its roots.”

Breakfast Republic's Whiskey Sunny Side Up

• ¾ oz. egg white
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• ½ oz. port wine
• 2 oz. Koval American Oat Bourbon Whiskey

Dry-shake (i.e., without ice) first three ingredients in cocktail tin for 45 seconds or until shaking generates a froth; tap bubbles from froth, add ice to tin, shake 25 seconds, strain ingredients into cocktail glass. With the back of a spoon, float port wine over top and garnish with a disc of orange peel.