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Tag Archives: bourbon

  • The Cask-Strength Bourbon Old Fashioned

    April 24, 2015

    2 Comments

    ofA funny thing often happens when you “go deep” into a subject, you often find yourself back at the beginning. And that is certainly true when you get into cocktails. You may play with tiki, sours, endless Martini and Manhattan variants, molecular mixology, shims, cobblers, smashes, etc. But in the end, you will most likely find yourself a fan of the original cocktail; spirits, sugar, bitters and water. These days, most people call that drink an Old Fashioned.

    of3of4And even at its most basic, you can still play around with Old Fashioneds. They work with different spirits (beyond whiskey, aged rum or brandy Old Fashioneds are a delight), sweeteners and bitters, and experimentation will yield very tasty results. But the one area we suggest is going back even more to the source, and try using high-proof, “cask-strength” spirits. And we don’t mean “bonded” spirits at 100 proof (although they are great in cocktails) we mean the hard stuff, 110 proof -140 proof. Yup, serious booze.

    of5Now you may say, “whoa, that will be way to strong”. But part of the magic of cocktails is dilution with water; not enough- the drink is too hot, too much- the drink is watery and bland. But if you get it just right, the drink sings. And with cask-strength spirits, the drink not only sings, but changes in the glass as you slowly sip at your cocktail (and we do recommend a slow pace).

    of6of7of8Now purists may say that we should use rye instead of bourbon and that you shouldn’t add anything other than water to quality, cask-strength bourbon. And while we understand these arguments, we can say that we prefer bourbon (and there are more cask-strength options available) and that you need to try the Cask-Strength Bourbon Old-Fashioned before you judge it. This drink is true alchemy, always changing over time, but with deep caramel, wood, spice and balanced sweetness throughout. Just try it… Continue reading →

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    Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Whiskey / Rye Tags: bourbon, cask strength bourbon, Cask-Strength, Cocktail, Cocktails, cooking, DrinkWire, food, old fashioned, photography, photos, recipes
  • Weekly Cocktail #42: The Kentucky Royale

    February 1, 2013

    24 Comments

    The Kentucky Royale Cocktail.

    The Kentucky Royale Cocktail.

    One of our favorite things about cocktails is that they allow you to “follow the Muse” a bit. For inspiration we look at the bar, read some cocktail books, browse some cocktail websites, shop the farmers market or pick fruit from the orchard. Most of the time we have no idea what’s coming, but we certainly enjoy the ride (mostly, a few drinks have gone down the drain). So while we would call this week’s cocktail a “happy accident”, we have come to expect pleasant surprises at the bar.

    royaleroyale2The Kentucky Royale is a Manhattan variant that includes Bourbon (Elijah Craig 12), Cherry Heering, Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica), coffee liqueur (Kahlua Especial), Bittermen’s Mole bitters (chocolate bitters) and a cherry garnish. And while this may sound like a bit of a mess, it works beautifully. You get a sweet vanilla and cherry sip from the Bourbon and Cherry Heering, followed by the spice of the Carpano Antica vermouth (good vermouth really helps here) and with slight chocolate and coffee notes at the finish that slightly clean the palate. A very well-balanced sip.

    royale3royale4So what do we mean by “balance”? Well, as you may know, we are not big fans of the term. Often “balance” seems to mean “what I like”. But we would define balance in a cocktail this way; you taste hints of all the ingredients and flavors, but the overall flavor of the drink works from beginning to end, nothing extra, nothing wasted. And the Kentucky Royale, even with a wealth of ingredients, certainly fits the definition.

    royale5How did we find the recipe? We trusted the Muse. Last week we went to a single barrel Bourbon tasting at our local liquor store, and we left with a few bottles. And while the bottles sat on the bar, we opened Fred Yarm’s cocktail book “Drink and Tell”, we literally opened the book, flipped a few random pages and this was the first bourbon recipe we found. (The recipe comes from the Franklin Southie, a Boston-area bar. They developed the recipe for a bourbon-themed industry event.) We had all the ingredients (even the crazy bitters) so we made this cocktail, and enjoyed another “happy accident”.

    royale8The Kentucky Royale:

    Ingredients:

    • 1 and 1/2 oz. Bourbon (Elijah Craig 12)
    • 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering 
    • 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
    • 1 barspoon (1 teaspoon) Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua Especial)
    • 2 dashes chocolate bitters (Bittermen’s Xocolatl Mole bitters)
    • Brandied or Maraschino cherry for garnish

    Assemble:

    1. Combine all the liquid ingredients in a cocktail glass or shaker. Stir until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupé. Garnish with the cherry. Serve.
    Related articles
    • Weekly Cocktail #41: The White Negroni (putneyfarm.com)
    • Weekly Cocktail #40: The Bamboo Cocktail (putneyfarm.com)
    • Weekly Cocktail #39: Blood On The Adriatic (putneyfarm.com)

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    Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Whiskey / Rye Tags: bourbon, Cocktail, Cocktails, cooking, cuisine, DrinkWire, food, kentucky royale cocktail, Manhattan, photography, photos, recipes
  • Weekly Cocktail #30: The Derby

    September 28, 2012

    9 Comments

    The Derby Cocktail.

    When we look around our bar, it doesn’t take long for us to see that bourbon is sometimes a neglected spirit. We often prefer rye whiskey in many classic cocktails and when reworking old recipes tend to look to Cognac or Armagnac. But that doesn’t mean we dislike bourbon, we just usually drink it neat, on the rocks or in Mint Juleps when spring comes around. But part of why we write about our explorations in cocktails is to expand our tastes, so this week we took another look at bourbon.

    And it didn’t take us long to find the Derby. The Derby combines bourbon, sweet vermouth, orange Curacao and lime juice. We were attracted to this drink both because it uses common ingredients (like the Scofflaw), but features the uncommon mix of lime and whiskey (like the Junior). And, finally, a little research from Ted Haigh noted that Trader Vic Bergeron himself published this recipe and featured the drink. If it’s good enough for Trader Vic, we figured the Derby was worth a try.

    And the Derby is certainly worth a try, and probably a regular visit. The bourbon and sweet vermouth are a natural fit, but the Curacao adds depth and the lime adds a bright, tart flavor to the sip. If you are a big Manhattan fan, you might find this drink a bit sour, but if you are a rum or gin fan, this cocktail may seem like familiar territory. But make no mistake, you taste the sweet caramel notes of the bourbon, it just doesn’t dominate the whole sip. Like we said, worth a visit.

    As for the spirits, we use Bulleit bourbon as our go-to bourbon and recommend it, but this would be a good cocktail to play with- try the bourbon(s) you have. We also use Pierre Ferrand Curacao, a reformulation / recreation of  “old-time” Curacao. We are big fans of the Pierre Ferrand, it is less sweet and has more spice than most Curacaos or triple secs. But finally, the big variable in the Derby is the sweet vermouth. We use Carpano Antica, a much less sweet vermouth that adds some spice and amps the tartness of the drink. (If you see a theme emerging, it’s that we usually prefer tart and spice flavors in our cocktails).  If you like a sweeter sip, Dolin or M&R might be the way to go. But again, the Derby is a good recipe for experimentation, and a great way to enjoy a little bourbon.

    The Derby Cocktail:

    Ingredients:

    • 1 oz. bourbon whiskey
    • 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
    • 1/2 oz. orange Curacao
    • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice.

    Assemble:

    1. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupé. Serve.
    Related articles
    • Bonus Cocktail: The Scofflaw (putneyfarm.com)
    • Mixology Monday Cocktail: Long Island Planter’s Punch (LIPP) (putneyfarm.com)
    • Bonus Cocktail: Scott’s Manhattan (putneyfarm.com)
    • 10 Bourbon Cocktail Recipes We Love (drinks.seriouseats.com)
    • Weekly Cocktail #27: The Junior (and the Frisco Sour) (putneyfarm.com)

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    Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Whiskey / Rye Tags: bourbon, Cocktail, Cocktails, cooking, derby cocktail, food, Home, lifestyle, photography, photos, recipes, travel, vacation, Vermouth

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