Candy Cane Bourbon

[smokinjoe]

Was going through the Food & Drink Section of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution this AM and came across the following recipe for infused Candy Cane Bourbon. Sounds like heresy to me, but thought I'd share it for the Holidays. The recipe originates from Woodford Reserve, and was apparantly picked up by the AJC:
1 liter bourbon
3 large candy canes, broken into smaller pieces

Empty bourbon into a clean container. Pleace the broken candy canes at the bottom of the bourbon bottle. Pour the bourbon back into the bottle, covering the candy pieces. Infuse for no more than 24 hours. (They don't say, but I guess this means you take the candy pieces out.)

I wonder if they got the idea from the copper-penny infused 4-Grain?

JOE

[NeoTexan]

I wonder if our family's "singing organges" idea would also work. If you find the right candy "canes" (actually you need the straight ones) where the candy interior is not completly solid (sort of like siss cheese), you can break off both end, stickk it in an orange and drink the juice through the straw you made.

[ratcheer]

I tried candy cane bourbon on my own way back in the early 70's. I was at a Christmas party, I was drinking bourbon, and I was probably pretty drunk when I spotted some candy canes and the idea just popped into my head. As I recall, it was pretty good.

Tim

[gothbat]

To me this doesn’t sound like it would taste good but somehow it also sounds like it’s worth a shot. Maybe I’ll give it a go this weekend and report back. Thanks for the idea.

[troyce]

Sounds like a waste of good candy canes and bourbon.

[cowdery]

I just recently learned about a Jack Daniel's employee who puts four or five candy canes into a bottle of Jack Black and carries it around with him for a few days (to agitate it) until the candy completely dissolves. He calls it his cough medicine and, strangely enough, he always seems to have a cough.

[TNbourbon]

Sounds better to me, though, using a straight rye. Which I'll do when I think to.

[Gillman]

All this goes back years, I believe. Mike Veach on the other board reported that a well known brand distributed candy sticks with their whiskey in the 1950's. On the web site of the Phillips Union whiskeys, it is reported that drinkers in 1930's bars in Minneapolis added peppermint candies to their whiskey. I have surmised this was done with blended or young straight whiskey to approximate the palate of pre-Prohibition straight rye or bourbon. Adding such things to well-aged, quality straight rye therefore is (arguably) superfluous, but it may make sense to add it to a young straight rye such as Ritenhouse 80 proof.

Gary

[cowdery]

I agree with all of the above and think it also has echos of Rock N Rye, i.e., rock candy suspended in rye whiskey. And, of course, adding sugar and mint to bourbon gives you a mint julep.

[TNbourbon]

...Adding such things to well-aged, quality straight rye therefore is (arguably) superfluous, but it may make sense to add it to a young straight rye such as Ritenhouse 80 proof.

Gary

While I largely agree, Gary, I also agree with Mae West: "Too much of a good think is...wonderful!"