The Billionaire Cocktail is Employees Only’s answer to the old Millionaire family of drinks, but it is not simply an expensive-sounding whiskey sour. Cask-strength bourbon provides heat and oak, real pomegranate grenadine supplies a dark fruit note, and the bar’s absinthe bitters add anise, mint and baking spice.
Employees Only currently serves the drink in New York. Its November 2026 menu places the Billionaire among the $21 EO Classics and names Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, fresh lemon juice, EO Grenadine and absinthe bitters. It is shaken and served up. The exact current measurements are not public.
What Employees Only Actually Serves
The current menu establishes the drink’s structure, but the founders’ 2010 book provides the useful numbers: 2 ounces of 107-proof bourbon, 1 ounce lemon, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, 1/2 ounce grenadine and 1/4 ounce house absinthe bitters. That is the formula used here, with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength replacing the Baker’s bourbon named in older published versions.
The house bitters deserve attention. They are not merely a bottle of absinthe. The published batch combines absinthe with Green Chartreuse, Peychaud’s, Angostura and mint bitters. A quarter-ounce therefore adds anise, herbs, spice and a cooling finish rather than one blunt licorice flavor.
Dushan Zaric is widely credited with developing the Billionaire at Employees Only, sometimes alongside co-founder Jason Kosmas. The date is less tidy. Later references often say circa 2011, yet the recipe appeared in Kosmas and Zaric’s book in 2010. It is safer to call it an Employees Only original from that period than to insist on one invention year.
Why Typical Copycats Fail
Regular 80-proof bourbon can disappear behind an ounce of lemon and a full ounce of sweeteners. The drink was designed around high-proof whiskey, and the current bar still names a cask-strength bottle. If using ordinary bourbon, reduce both lemon and simple syrup by a quarter-ounce rather than making a thin, overly tart sour.
Artificial red grenadine creates a candy flavor. Look for a grenadine that names pomegranate juice or concentrate, or make a quick version from equal parts unsweetened pomegranate juice and sugar. Orange blossom water is optional, but pomegranate is not.
Straight absinthe can also overwhelm the drink. The house bitters spread a relatively small amount of absinthe through several modifiers. When substituting plain absinthe, use one teaspoon rather than the full quarter-ounce, then add one dash each of Peychaud’s and Angostura if available.
The Key Technique: Balance the High Proof
Cold and dilution matter more here than in a soft vodka lemonade. Chill the coupe before shaking and use plenty of hard, fresh ice. Shake for 12 to 15 seconds so the bourbon loses its raw edge and the citrus gains a light, silky texture.
Fine-strain immediately. The drink should land cold, ruby red and free of ice chips. Slice the lemon wheel almost paper-thin so it floats instead of sinking. Its oil and fresh aroma brighten the absinthe without adding more juice.
Taste your grenadine before mixing. A rich commercial syrup may need only a quarter-ounce of added simple syrup, while a tart homemade grenadine may need the full half-ounce. The target is a firm whiskey sour, not liquid candy.
Batch Eight Drinks
Combine 16 oz (480 ml) cask-strength bourbon, 4 oz (120 ml) pomegranate grenadine, 4 oz (120 ml) simple syrup and 2 oz (60 ml) absinthe bitters in a sealed bottle. Refrigerate for up to one week.
Shortly before serving, mix in 8 oz (240 ml) fresh lemon juice. For each drink, shake 4 1/4 oz (127 ml) of batch with ice for 12 to 15 seconds, then fine-strain into a chilled coupe. Cut and float each lemon wheel at serving time. Do not pre-dilute the bottle if you plan to shake individual portions.
The Million-Dollar Sour Mocktail
The zero-proof version recreates the architecture rather than the alcohol. A whiskey alternative labeled 0.0% brings oak and vanilla, while strong fennel-mint tea suggests the anise and cooling herbs in EO’s bitters. Pomegranate grenadine supplies the same color and dark fruit center.
Steep one fennel tea bag with a few mint leaves in 4 oz (120 ml) hot water for five minutes, then chill it completely. Only a quarter-ounce goes into each drink. Shake and fine-strain exactly as you would the original, and keep the thin floating lemon wheel for the recognizable finish.
