Bourbon Cocktail Recipes – Trust The Devil You Know

Fall Cocktails: Whiskey Ginger Spritz

Whiskey Ginger Spritz Autumn Cocktail

Gin may be the Spirit of Summer, but Bourbon is the Spirit of Fall. With the color of autumn leaves and a warm taste, a nice Bourbon cocktail on a fall evening really hits the spot.

You could use any Bourbon you like. The more popular brands like Jack Daniels and Jim Beam are always safe but tend to be on the pricey side. I picked up this bottle of Samuel Grant Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (is the name long enough for ya?) at Albertson’s in Los Lunas on sale for $8.99. It turned out to be quite good and just goes to show that it is not necessary to break the bank in order to mix excellent cocktails.

With regard to the Ginger Ale, I highly recommend a premium brand such as Reed’s… so much more Ginger-licious than the common brands.

Follow the flow chart

Fill a high ball glass (or mason jar) with ice

Add 1.5 shots Bourbon

Add 3 – 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Top off with Reed’s Ginger Ale

Stir

Garnish with lemon wedge

Enjoy while the sun goes down 🙂

Whiskey Ginger Spritz

Grown-up Dessert: Orange Cream Bourbon Float

Orange Cream Bourbon Float

It’s like party punch from the church basement but with an evil twist.

Now, you could use standard issue orange sherbet but I think my option is better; Dryer’s Orange Sherbet / Vanilla Ice Cream blend. It’s got the orange and the cream all under one roof.

Follow the flowchart:

Sherbet/Ice Cream goes in the glass first. Use as much as you like. I say pile up the scoops to the top of the glass.

1.5 oz shot of Bourbon. Pour the bourbon directly over the sherbet. I used Jack Daniels but feel free to use any kind you like.

Top off with Orange Cream flavored seltzer water. Pour slowly and down the side of the glass because it will foam, a lot.

Garnish with a slice of orange and fresh cherries.

Jack Daniels Ice Cream Float

Cocktail Recipe: Southern Style Mint Julep

Our Tai Chi friends invited us over for drinks last Sunday, so obviously we accepted.

They wanted to have a Mint Julep party and, even though I worked as a bartender in Las Vegas for three years, I managed never to make or drink one of these fancy concoctions so naturally I had to learn all about it.

The first step in making an excellent Mint Julep is to grab a handful of fresh mint from the garden.

In a glass, or mason jar, add several mint leaves and a teaspoon of sugar. Using a spoon or other blunt implement, muddle the mint leaves and the sugar. This will tear the mint leaves a bit and release more mint flavor.

Next, add several ice cubes and one shot of Bourbon. Maker’s Mark is a nice choice.

This is a southern style Mint Julep so do not add any additional water. I suppose if you had a stainless steel drink shaker you could actually do all of this in the shaker, and then shake to facilitate the melting of the ice before pouring the whole thing into a glass but, in the absence of a shaker, mixing it directly in the glass is fine too. The melting ice becomes the water that dilutes the bourbon so it takes longer to end up face down on the table.

Mint Juleps are a commodity of a hot summer afternoon so enjoy slowly. 🙂

As a post script, our Tai Chi friends also have a flock of Guinea Fowl to make sure that they never over sleep… ever.