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Easy Holiday Treat


cowdery
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Here's an easy holiday treat. Take a bottle of your favorite bourbon and insert one candy cane.

More power to you if you can get one of the crook-shaped ones in without breaking it.

It looks festive and, in time, the candy cane will dissolve, adding a minty sweetness to the liquor.

Now, and this is very important, as soon as the candy cane is in the bottle you must take a black marker and mark out the word "bourbon" wherever it appears on the label. Certain people will give you a lot of flak if you don't.

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Here's an easy holiday treat. Take a bottle of your favorite bourbon and insert one candy cane.

Chuck, I remember having that served to me at a New Year's Eve party sometime shortly after I graduated high school, so around 1970 or so. It was just a family gathering, not a big, fancy party. Country people, if you will.

Anyway, it was delicious.

Tim

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Chuck, I remember having that served to me at a New Year's Eve party sometime shortly after I graduated high school, so around 1970 or so. It was just a family gathering, not a big, fancy party. Country people, if you will.

Anyway, it was delicious.

Tim

I got the idea from a tour guide at Jack Daniel's, who carries the bottle all day in the pocket of his overalls so it agitates and the candy dissolves faster.

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Sounds intriguing. What's a good candidate whiskey to use? Not too expensive or overpowering I would think.

Craig

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Sounds intriguing. What's a good candidate whiskey to use? Not too expensive or overpowering I would think.

Craig

You'll want to use something with of a rye recipe, not wheat. This is an old-fashioned, pre-Prohibition treat (c. 1875-1880, by some accounts) that is a progenitor, with fruit added, to today's Rock & Rye (rock candy and rye whiskey).

I've enjoyed it with Wild Turkey and VOB, and especially with some straight ryes, ranging from Old Overholt to VWFFR. I've also been known to simply let a peppermint stick sit awhile in a poured glass of rye, then enjoy the candy and the whiskey seperately, but at the same time.:yum:

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Can I be the one who does not like this idea?

:puke:

Peppermint candy...no can do. I had a bad experience with high proof peppermint schnapps in college.

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I've been doing this every year for the Holidays, since Chuck rec'd it here a couple of years ago. It's good. Particularly as a late night nip. Go easy on the candy canes, though. Error on the light side. You can always add more CC's if necessary, and they dissolve pretty quickly.

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You'll want to use something with of a rye recipe, not wheat. This is an old-fashioned, pre-Prohibition treat (c. 1875-1880, by some accounts) that is a progenitor, with fruit added, to today's Rock & Rye (rock candy and rye whiskey).

Sounds like a job for a pre-prohibition brand...I think I know how I'm going to be using my Old Forester rebate!

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I know it won't surprise Tim to hear me say this is a job for Very Old Barton BIB.

Other than Old Barton BIB, any recommendations?

I've been doing this every year for the Holidays, since Chuck rec'd it here a couple of years ago. It's good. Particularly as a late night nip. Go easy on the candy canes, though. Error on the light side. You can always add more CC's if necessary, and they dissolve pretty quickly.

hmm. what do you typically add your candy canes to, and how many do you typically add to said whiskey?

I really like this idea, and will have to try it!

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I haven't picked the bottle for anything particular. Just something that is about 1/2 full. From what I remember I've done a Sam Houston, EWSB (forget the year, but probably a 98), and a Beam Black. I seem to think the Sam Houston was particularly good. But, that's probably more a function of the correct amount of Candy Canes, rather than the bourbon type. I can't say for sure. Unfortunately, Joey was sleepin' when Mr. Kline was explaining The Scientific Method in 5th Period. :D

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I agree that you want a rye-recipe bourbon, or maybe even a rye, and there is no point spending a fortune, but don't do it with something you wouldn't drink otherwise.

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Chuck,

This sounds very familiar. In the 1950s James E Pepper had the James E Peppermint julep which was a straight, thin peppermint stick that you would use as your swizzle stick in your Pepper on the rocks.

Mike Veach

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Chuck,

This sounds very familiar. In the 1950s James E Pepper had the James E Peppermint julep which was a straight, thin peppermint stick that you would use as your swizzle stick in your Pepper on the rocks.

Mike Veach

That would be a brilliant add-on for a bourbon gift pack.

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Schenley thought so, but it was not enough to save Pepper. By 1970, James E Pepper bourbon sales were pretty much non-existant.

Mike Veach

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I think Evan Williams Black Label. It has a nice, minty flavor to it already. It is also readily available in pint bottles, so less of an investment if you aren't sure about how much you'll love the mixture.

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Chuck,

This sounds very familiar. In the 1950s James E Pepper had the James E Peppermint julep which was a straight, thin peppermint stick that you would use as your swizzle stick in your Pepper on the rocks.

Mike Veach

I really like that idea! Using some of those soft peppermint sticks, like you get from Cracker Barrel. I've been havin' a hankerin' for their chicken n dumplins, too. Hey, two birds with one stone: My daughter can put her peppermint stick in an orange, and I'll have mine in an Old Grand Dad.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Over the weekend I dissolved 1.33 candy canes in a bottle of HH BiB white label. I did just one stick at first but I could barely taste the peppermint.

I'm looking forward to trying it tonight! I'll report back.

I may try it in some Old Forester too, but I've been having trouble finding it. Real deal? Promotional Gimmick? The fact that Old Forester isn't popular enough around here for smaller stores to stock it? Who knows?

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Josh kindly brought over his peppermint concoction last night and it was delicious. I think it would make a nice addition to a cup of hot chocolate too.

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Josh kindly brought over his peppermint concoction last night and it was delicious. I think it would make a nice addition to a cup of hot chocolate too.
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