If you’ve heard the name “Buster Brown” at all, you’re probably thinking of a line of kids’ shoes. However, you may not know that these shoes were not named for the guy who started the footwear line. Buster Brown was a popular comic strip character from the early 20th century created by Richard F. Outcault, a comics pioneer who’s perhaps slightly better remembered by modern graphic storytelling geeks for the Yellow Kid.

The character was a dandyish youngster whose angelic looks belied a strong mischievous streak, resulting in frequent corporal punishment at the hands of his mother. I’ve never actually read the strip, but I assume no boozing was involved as Buster was obviously much too young. So, as with last week’s drink, we have another cocktail named for a presumed teetotaler.

Indeed, while cartoonist Richard Outcault licensed his character to the shoe brand, there is really no apparent connection between the name and drink itself. Still, it’s a very nice variation on a whiskey sour. The only real difference is that the Buster Brown is a true cocktail in the original sense as, unlike most sours, it contains bitters.

The Buster Brown

2 ounces bourbon (possibly rye)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup (possibly 2 1/2 tablespoons superfine sugar)
2 dashes orange bitters

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and contemplate how to do mischievous things without getting spanked.

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This is, to be sure, a tart drink, though I found it to be notably more approachable than last week’s similar, but gin-based, entry. I think I might even prefer it to a standard whiskey sour (at least the kind without egg white). It’s possible the orange bitters balance things out.

There are, by the way, multiple variations of this very old drink. My recipe comes pretty much unchanged from the one I found in “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.” However, many recipes take down the proportions a bit — 1 1/2 parts whiskey, 1/2 part lemon juice, 1/4 part simple syrup, same amount of bitters. It tastes about the same and is probably the way to go if you’d like a smaller cocktail.

I will say that the Buster Brown is a pretty sturdy drink that plays well with multiple brands. It’s tempting to lean towards the sweeter bourbons like Evan Williams and Maker’s Mark, but it was about as nice with less-sweet rye. At the same time, I think a Buster Brown purist might argue that it needs to have bourbon to be the real thing. That being said, I wonder if there are any Buster Brown purists.