makers mark and ginger ale

[ILOVEMAKER'SMARK]

What do you all drink? I just found Maker's Mark and I am obsessed!
Try it with Ginger Ale and you are set for the night.

[wadewood]

Since you love Makers, be sure to join their Ambassador program:

http://www.makersmark.com/Ambassador/AmbInfo.aspx

While it is a very popular bourbon, you will find most of us on this board have other favorites. By the way, Makers is now owned by same company that owns Jim Beam.

[cowdery]

Bourbon and ginger tends to be a Northeastern thing and it's not bad, if you're into mixers.

[bluesbassdad]

The few times in recent years when I've drunk bourbon and ginger ale I've been surprised how much effect the choice of ginger ale has on the drink.

I recently tried Vernor's ginger ale with Rebel Yell, another wheater, as is Maker's Mark, and at my usual ratio of 4:1 I could hardly taste the bourbon.

Perhaps it's no accident that rye whiskey and ginger ale is favored by many.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Gillman]

I think that's right. The more I get on with cocktails and mixed drinks (which I only drink once in a while actually), the more I see how they were originally meant to be made with rye whiskey or a high-rye bourbon. All the Beam products make very good Manhattans and bourbon-and-Cokes for this reason, so would FRSB and Bulleit. Not that many of these bourbons aren't good on their own.. And from there straight rye segues into blended whiskey. Example of an own-blend made in the full bottle last night: 80% Seagram's Gold, 10% 20 year old CC, 10% Lot 40. It is noteworthy how the rye flavour of the Lot 40 penetrates through the other whiskies and creates something which really is in my humble view better than each on its own.

Gary

[jeff]

Personally I've found that you can't mix Maker's with much of anything, or it fades into obscurity. I like Maker's, but it must be drunk neat or on the rocks. I do however enjoy bourbon and Perrier, though usually a high-rye bourbon.

[elkdoggydog]

I like bourbon with Ginger Beer, but only on occasion. It ends up tasting somewhat similar to sparkling apple juice, imo (I thought I was crazy on my tasting notes until Nebraska backed me up on the spinach flavor in Saz Jr.- Thanks, Mark). Anyway, I use a rye-heavy bourbon like OGD or WT101 for these purposes.

If you like Maker's Mark, you're going to love some of the other stuff out there, and it doesn't have to cost you more. Disclaimer: I like MM just fine, but am anything but a creature of habit. Variety is the spice of life.

[Nebraska]

Hey Sam...what is Ginger Beer? Alcohol content, non-alcohol? I really like Ginger ale...but am not familiar with Ginger Beer.

[gr8erdane]

I think Ginger is Nancy Beer's sister and I've heard she can drink most men under the table so be careful if you drink bourbon with her.

[elkdoggydog]

Mark,

Ginger Beer is a spicier, amped up cousin of Ginger Ale, and is non-alcoholic. Some of the stronger Ginger Ales are pretty similar to Ginger Beer. I didn't mean to come off as snobby about it, sorry if I did.
You can probably find Ginger Beer at the grocery store, or if you have a beverage superstore type place nearby, they should have it. It's popular in the Caribbean and in Mexico, so look in that section of the grocery store, too. Vernor's and Reed's are brands that I see a lot, and Goya makes one as well.
Anyway, it's great with bourbon, and is really nice on its own, too.