Bourbon/Rye Cocktails

[TBoner]

I'm intrigued by the passionfruit idea. How was it?

I hope to find some Ale8One sometime, as I've pretty much run through all the ginger ales and ginger beers I can get here. I have a couple I really like, but after hearing about it from so many different people, Ale8One has achieved mythical status in my mind.

As a takeoff on the Vieux Carre, I made the following recently. I'll be tweaking ratios, but it was interesting, and a good start at something very nice.

1 oz. Saz Jr.
1 oz. Zwack barack palinka (dry apricot brandy)
1 oz. Cinzano Bianco vermouth (lots of vanilla in this)
1 tsp. maraschino liqueur
2 dashes homemade bitters
1 dash peach bitters

The barack palinka is very potently flavored, so I think WT rye would balance it better. The vanilla, apricot, and spice of the three principal ingredients are great together, with the maraschino liqueur melding the sweetness of the whiskey and the "funk" of the eau-de-vie together nicely. I'll play with the choice of whiskey, and may wind up changing proportions completely, but initially I just wanted to do something that played on the Vieux Carre idea. I'll post more when I get this just right, but there's something there.

[TBoner]

I'm finishing off a Ward 8 right now. I've seen a variety of recipes floating around, but they're all similar, and all close to what I used:

2 oz. rye
1/2 oz. orange juice
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. grenadine

Shaken with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnished with flamed orange and lemon twists.

In a way this is just a variation on the whiskey sour, but it's got more going on than that. The interplay of two different citrus juices plus the backdrop of grenadine (I used a homemade version: pomegranate juice and sugar) does great things for the whiskey, drawing out both fruit and spice. I used 2 oz. rye because I was using Overholt. Many recipes call for just 1.5 oz., and I think that might work with a more assertive rye like WT Rye. Regardless, I think this one calls for rye, and not bourbon, for sure.

BTW, after a sip, I couldn't resist adding a couple of drops of Fee Bros. orange bitters. Yowza. This is a terrific way to enjoy whiskey in the heat of summer.

[smokinjoe]

I'm intrigued by the passionfruit idea. How was it?

I hope to find some Ale8One sometime, as I've pretty much run through all the ginger ales and ginger beers I can get here. I have a couple I really like, but after hearing about it from so many different people, Ale8One has achieved mythical status in my mind.

As a takeoff on the Vieux Carre, I made the following recently. I'll be tweaking ratios, but it was interesting, and a good start at something very nice.

1 oz. Saz Jr.
1 oz. Zwack barack palinka (dry apricot brandy)
1 oz. Cinzano Bianco vermouth (lots of vanilla in this)
1 tsp. maraschino liqueur
2 dashes homemade bitters
1 dash peach bitters

The barack palinka is very potently flavored, so I think WT rye would balance it better. The vanilla, apricot, and spice of the three principal ingredients are great together, with the maraschino liqueur melding the sweetness of the whiskey and the "funk" of the eau-de-vie together nicely. I'll play with the choice of whiskey, and may wind up changing proportions completely, but initially I just wanted to do something that played on the Vieux Carre idea. I'll post more when I get this just right, but there's something there.

T, you can go to www.ale-8-1.com and order from their company store. They'll ship to you.

JOE

[smokinjoe]

Ale-8-One Ginger Ale has the following Summer Frozen Cocktail on their website:

A Late Freeze

Pour six (6) 12oz bottles of Ale-8-One into a saucepan. Boil until reduced by half. (About 15-20 minutes) Cool, and then add one ounce of Kentucky bourbon for every bottle of Ale-8-One. *(It took me a minute, but I figure that's 6oz of bourbon...) Freeze until slushy and then mix in blender. Makes 4, 8oz servings.

I'm down to my last 4 bottles of Ale-8-One, but I think I'll give this a try. Particularly since it's going back over 100 degrees here today.

Cheers!

JOE

[cowdery]

One need not hanker for Ale-8-One. They'll gladly ship you some, fresh from the factory, for a very reasonable price. Click here.

[Aged In Oak]

Speaking of ginger ale, I highly recommend Reed's Extra Ginger Brew if you can find it. It has lots of ginger in it, giving the final product a sharp (but pleasant) bite. I mixed an excellent rye and ginger the other day using that and Sazerac's 6 year old rye. The strong flavor complements the whiskey well. I'll have to try it in that Late Freeze recipe above.

[scratchline]

Okay, here's a good one. Tonight I'm on my way to one of NYC's venerable cocktail shrines, The Bemelmans Bar. Like any other institution, it's gone through its highs and lows, but back in one of its many halcyon days, it was the laboratory for Dale DeGroff, a preeminent mixologist. One of his inventions was the Whiskey Smash:

One quarter lemon cut in two pieces
Three or four mint leaves
3/4 oz sugar syrup
1 oz water

Muddle well. Add

1 1/2 oz bourbon.

Shake. Strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Now its kind of a sour and kind of a julep. But as someone mentioned earlier, somehow the combination yields something that is altogether its own thing.

DeGroff calls for Makers, but I've had it with 4 Roses Small Batch, Old Grand-Dad BIB, and William LaRue Weller, and they've all been outstanding. It's like one of those old Lemonhead candies in adult form.

Be sure to garnish with a big sprig of mint so you get a snootful when drinking. Demerara syrup is good too. I'll be coming back to this one often.

-Mike

[cowdery]

I made a whiskey sour last night that seemed unusually good. It was 3 parts Old Forester 100, two parts homemade simple syrup and one part fresh lime juice.

I know, should be lemon juice, but all I had were limes.

The last time I made simple syrup I accidentally caramelized it just a little. Not sure if that's part of the reason last night's drink tasted so good.

I shook it with ice and served it neat. Just about perfect.

The whiskey sour in some form is due for a revival. It's a good, tasty, simple drink.

[TBoner]

I made a whiskey sour last night that seemed unusually good. It was 3 parts Old Forester 100, two parts homemade simple syrup and one part fresh lime juice.

I know, should be lemon juice, but all I had were limes.

The last time I made simple syrup I accidentally caramelized it just a little. Not sure if that's part of the reason last night's drink tasted so good.

I shook it with ice and served it neat. Just about perfect.

The whiskey sour in some form is due for a revival. It's a good, tasty, simple drink.

Sounds terrific, especially the caramelized syrup.

And I agree that the whiskey sour needs a comeback. Bartenders I've talked to say only kids order it, and they almost always check ID when the drink is ordered. I know I don't like what I get when I order them out, as it's usually very heavy on HFCS-sweetened sour mix and light on whiskey (and actual sourness). But when made as you described above, with a high whiskey:sugar ratio and real juice, it's a wonderful drink.

You've inspired me. I'm making one tonight.

[nor02lei]

Isen´t this thread in the wrong place?

Leif