Bourbon Cocktails by the Calendar
COCKTAILS FOR ALL SEASONS (Sip any time!)
AMERICAN COCKTAIL 
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
¾ ounce pure maple syrup
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a large orange twist.
2 ounces Wild Turkey 101
1 ounce Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur
1 ounce sweet and sour mix
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled glass. Squeeze a lemon wedge into the glass and drop it in to garnish.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
¾ ounce Chambord
½ ounce Noilly Prat sweet vermouth
3–4 dashes Angostura bitters
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with 3 fresh raspberries on a pick.
ITALIAN MANHATTAN
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
¾ ounce Tuaca
½ ounce Noilly Prat dry vermouth
3–4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a large orange twist or orange slice on the rim.
KENTUCKY JELLYBEAN 101 
When I first moved to Louisville in 1978, almost every bar in town did a Jellybean with various recipes topped with rum and then set on fire. This is my version, but no flames, please. I saw too many people accidentally set themselves on fire!
ounce grenadine
ounce green crème de menthe
ounce anisette
ounce blackberry brandy
ounce Wild Turkey 101
Into a 2-ounce fluted shot glass, starting with the grenadine, pour each of the ingredients, in the order listed, over the back of a spoon, making a layer with each.
KENTUCKY PEACH MELBA
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 ounce DeKuyper Peachtree schnapps
1 ounce Chambord
1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream
Combine, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a fresh peach slice on the rim and 3 raspberries on a pick.
LOUISVILLE COCKTAIL
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
½ ounce Lillet rouge
½ ounce Lillet blanc
Combine and shake over ice; strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a large orange twist.
2 ounces Wild Turkey 101
1 ounce Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a glass filled with ice.
NEW WAVE COCKTAILS
These next two drinks provide a way to get your daily veggies. The preparation is a little more time-consuming, but you'll certainly impress the guests to whom you serve them.
The sweet potato pieces cup the drink. Eating them after you sip the liquid means that this is drink and dessert in one!
1 small sweet potato
sorghum syrup
chopped, toasted pecans
1 ounce spice-infused Kentucky bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
½ ounce pecan liqueur
Prepare the sweet potato as follows: Boil the potato until cooked but still firm. Cool and peel it and cut crosswise into three chunks. Scoop out the center of each piece, being careful not to scoop all the way through, making a “well” to hold the drink. Dip the potato rim in sorghum syrup and then in chopped, toasted pecans. Put ½ ounce sorghum in the bottom of a Martini glass and sprinkle with pecans. Place the three pieces of sweet potato into the Martini glass, hollowedout centers facing up.
Shake the bourbon, brown sugar syrup, and pecan liqueur over ice and carefully pour into the sweet potato cups. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve with two small sip straws and a small spoon. Sip the cocktail and eat the sweet potato pieces.
1 recipe Dark & Bloody Bourbon Mary (see p. 48)
assortment of vegetables, including
cherry tomatoes
cucumber pieces
zucchini, uncooked
summer squash, uncooked
new potatoes, cooked
Carefully shave flesh from the base of the vegetable pieces so that they rest level on a tray or plate. Hollow out the inside of the vegetable pieces to make veggie “shot glasses.” Place small bowls of condiments such as those produced by Bourbon Barrel Foods (BBF)—Bourbon Barrel Aged Soy Sauce, Bourbon Barrel Smoked Sea Salt, and Bourbon Barrel Smoked Peppercorns—around the veggies. Dip the rim of the veggie shots into the soy sauce, salt, and peppercorns.
Shake the Bloody Bourbon Mary mix over ice, strain into a small plastic squirt bottle, and squirt the Bloody Bourbon Mary mix into the shots. To enjoy, sip the drink and munch on the “shot glasses.”
(For more information about BBF, go to www.bourbonbarrelfoods.com. You can order these ingredients online or by phone.)
Many places have four seasons—spring, summer, fall, winter. Louisville has a fifth. It's called Derby. Not surprisingly, the week before the Kentucky Derby (held the first Saturday in May), as well as Derby weekend itself, is a very busy time at Jack's Lounge. I have created several specialty drinks for horse racing fans and other people who simply love this great excuse for a party.
CHOCOLATE JULEP
I love this drink—Kentucky bourbon, mint, chocolate. A simple drink that says so much.
1 part Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 part white crème de menthe
1 part Godiva chocolate liqueur
Combine and shake over ice; strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh chocolate mint.
This is the perfect drink for a Derby brunch. I relished rising to the challenge from those who said a Bloody Mary couldn't be made with bourbon. Ha!
1 teaspoon salt/pepper/paprika mix
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
2 large lemon wedges
1 tablespoon Bourbon Barrel Aged Worcestershire Sauce
1 can (6 ounces) Campbell's tomato juice
To prepare the seasoning mix, combine in a mortar one part each smoked sea salt and smoked pepper and two parts smoked paprika, all from Bourbon Barrel Foods (www.bourbonbarrelfoods.com). Finely crush with a pestle and shake together in a jar.
The Dark & Bloody Bourbon Mary in a pint glass with vegetable garnish.
To a pint glass or large mason jar filled with ice, add the bourbon, squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges, and add the teaspoon of seasoning mix and the Worcestershire sauce. Shake. Add more ice and the can of tomato juice. Shake again. Garnish with a long straw, baby corn, a large pitted black olive, and a cherry pepper, all on a stick.
This is my version of that beloved southern beverage, sweet tea, so I suggest serving it in small Mason jars.
Derbypunch in a glass pitcher.
1 cup Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
½ cup brown sugar syrup
½ cup DeKuyper Wild Strawberry liqueur
1 cup cooled tea
12 large lemon wedges
12 fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced ½
½ cup sparkling wine
In a 1½ quart glass pitcher, combine the bourbon, brown sugar syrup, Wild Strawberry liqueur, and tea. Squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges, and stir well. Add ice cubes and strawberry slices. Top with sparkling wine, stir again, and serve.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
¼ounce white crème de menthe
¼ ounce Noilly Prat dry vermouth
3–4 drops Angostura bitters
Combine, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
KENTUCKY COLONEL
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon
½ ounce praline liqueur
½ ounce green crème de menthe
½ ounce white crème de cacao
¾ ounce Baileys Irish Cream
Combine, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with 3–4 leaves of fresh mint floating on the top of the drink.
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
¾ ounce Nocello (walnut liqueur)
½ ounce Tuaca
¾ ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
¾ ounce Baileys Irish Cream
Combine ingredients, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled glass. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top.
NEW FASHIONED
¾ ounce limoncello
6 dashes Angostura bitters
3 lemon wedges
2 cherries
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce Korbel Natural sparkling wine
In the bottom of the glass, put the limoncello and bitters. Squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges and add the cherries. Muddle. Add ice and bourbon, and shake. Add the Korbel. Serve with a short straw and garnish with a large lemon twist.
2 cups Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
½ cup simple syrup
3 tablespoons Angostura bitters
1 cup fresh orange juice
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup water
In a 1½–2 quart glass pitcher, combine all ingredients and stir well. Add ice and 20 stemmed red cherries, 12 orange half wheels, and small slices of star fruit.
PEACH JULEP 
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
1½ ounces Monin peach syrup
5 mint leaves
3 slices fresh ripe, peeled peach
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
2 ounces water
In a pint glass, gently muddle syrups, mint leaves, and peach slices. Add bourbon, water, and ice. Shake. Garnish with a large peach slice and a mint sprig. Serve with a long straw.
This is a cocktail buffet where everyone mixes his or her own drink. My inspiration for this setup came from time spent in the West Indies, where similar buffets are served using rum.
1 cup Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 cup simple syrup
1 cup brown sugar syrup
1 cup water
1 small bottle Angostura bitters
cherries and wedges of lemon, lime, and orange
Put each of the liquid ingredients in its own pint glass carafe or pitcher, and each of the fruits in its own small glass bowl. Provide glasses, ice, and stir sticks. Sugar cane sticks add a festive touch used in place of the stir sticks.
This punch is based on a recipe in the Courier-Journal Cookbook (1971) for a sauce to serve over ice cream or cake. I loved the ingredients and thought they'd make a great drink. And they do!
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce Smucker's strawberry syrup
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce praline liqueur
To a pint glass filled with ice, add all ingredients and shake. Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a lemon wheel on the rim. Serve with a long straw.
CHOCOLATE DROP
This is a perfect sip to take the spring chill off and toast the snowdrops popping up out of the ground.
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
¾ ounce Tuaca
1 teaspoon brown sugar syrup
¾ ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
2 ounces half & half
1–2 ounces club soda
Shake all ingredients except the club soda over ice. Add more ice if needed and the soda. Stir. Sprinkle cocoa on top. Serve with a long straw.
EGG CREAM
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
¾ ounce Tuaca
1 teaspoon brown sugar syrup
2 ounces half & half
1–2 ounces club soda
Shake all ingredients except the club soda over ice and strain into a glass. Add more ice if needed and the soda. Stir and serve with a long straw. For a festive touch, add a few drops of red, blue, green, or yellow food coloring to the drink. Voila! Easter Egg Cream. Consider serving at an Easter brunch.
KENTUCKY SUNSHINE
2 ounces Kentucky sourwood honey dissolved in 2 ounces hot water
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 ounces fresh orange juice
1 ounce medium dry sherry
1 ounce sparkling wine
Dissolve the honey in the hot water; otherwise it will not dissolve in the liquor. To an ice-filled glass, add all ingredients except the sparkling wine; shake. Add more ice if needed and the sparkling wine. Garnish with a drizzle of undiluted sourwood honey, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a lemon wheel on the rim. Serve with a long straw.
This drink in named in honor of my daughter, Melissa, and the lemon honey candy we always buy when we visit the bee exhibit at the Kentucky State Fair.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
2 ounces sourwood honey dissolved in 2 ounces hot water and cooled juice of half a lemon
Combine, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a spring of lemon mint (also known as Sweet Melissa).
TORNADO 
This is my Bluegrass version of the Hurricane, since Kentucky's strong wind storms are tornadoes.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (100 proof)
½ ounce simple syrup
1 ounce grenadine
1 ounce Rose's lime juice
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce passion fruit rum
Combine, shake over ice, and pour into a glass. Garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry. Serve with a long straw.
SUMMER COCKTAILS
BEE STINGER
1½ ounces Wild Turkey 101
¾ ounce Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur
¾ ounce limoncello
Combine all ingredients over ice in the glass, and shake. Garnish with a lemon wedge and 2 honey sticks. The sipper will open the honey sticks and pour the contents into the drink. Include a short straw for stirring.
Don't chuckle over this seemingly unlikely combination of ingredients until you've tried it. It's summer in a glass.
2 bottles cold Wild Blue blueberry lager
1 can (12-ounce) frozen Minute Maid pink lemonade (defrosted, but no water added)
2 ounces blueberry-infused bourbon
10 ounces water
2 lemons cut into 12 wedges
1 cup fresh blueberries
Into a 1½–2 quart glass pitcher, pour the bottles of beer. Add lemonade, bourbon, and water; stir. After the foam subsides, squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges. Stir. Add ice and blueberries. Stir again. Serve over ice.
2 ounces blood orange–infused bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
4 dashes Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters
1 ounce juice from a blood orange or a regular juice orange
Combine and shake over ice; strain into a chilled Martini glass. Float a thin round of orange on top to garnish.
BOURBON SHAKE UP
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
1 ounce simple syrup
1 whole lemon cut into 4 wedges
1 ounce water
Combine bourbon and simple syrup in the glass. Squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges and water. Shake, shake, shake, shake! (Ah, if only they would serve these at the Kentucky State Fair.…)
This was my answer to the Mojito craze of a few years back.
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
6 small lemon wedges
6 mint leaves
1 ounce limoncello
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
3–4 ounces club soda
In a pint glass, place sugar syrup. Squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges, mint leaves, and limoncello. Muddle slightly. Add the bourbon and fill with ice. Shake and add more ice if needed. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a lemon wedge on the rim. Serve with a long straw.
This is my version of the fish house punch that's been around since the 1730s. It's a strong but surprisingly good drink. Kentuckians enjoy angling for and eating catfish, hence the name.
½ cup brown sugar syrup
½ cup lemon juice
2 cups cooled fresh tea
1½ cups Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
½ cup peach brandy
¼ cup Cruzan gold rum
¼ cup DeKuyper Peachtree schnapps
12–15 lemon wheels
pineapple wedges (optional)
In a 1½–2 quart glass pitcher or punch bowl, combine and stir all ingredients. Add ice and lemon wheels. Serve in glass or silver punch cups. Pineapple wedges make a nice addition.
This is the quick version of my award-winning Tropicale.
1 part Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 part Cruzan coconut rum
1 part Tuaca
1 part brown sugar syrup
3 parts pineapple juice
Combine and shake over ice. Sprinkle with nutmeg and garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge and a cherry. Serve with a long straw.
KENTUCKY BOURBON PEACH CIDER 
I admit that I've been able to find peach cider only in Georgia, but if you can find some (or have a friend in Georgia who can send you some), you'll love this cocktail.
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
4 ounces chilled peach cider
Combine in a glass and stir gently. Garnish with a stemmed red cherry dropped in the drink.
KENTUCKY BOURBON PLANTER'S PUNCH
Bourbon stands in for the traditional West Indian rum here.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
2 ounces brown sugar syrup
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
6 dashes Angostura bitters
5 ounces water
½ ounce 100-proof bourbon
In a pint glass filled with ice, shake all ingredients except the 100-proof bourbon. Add more ice if needed and float the 100-proof bourbon on top. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of fresh mint. Serve with a long straw.
LOUISVILLE ICED BOURBON COFFEE
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce Kahlua
5 ounces chilled coffee
1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream
Combine all ingredients except the Baileys in the glass over ice. Shake in a Boston shaker. Float the Baileys on top and serve with a long straw.
This drink honors the Cumberland Falls in southeastern Kentucky, one of only two places in the world (Victoria Falls in Africa is the other) where a moonbow of light regularly appears in the mist during a full moon. The Moonbow is light, misty, and perfect to drink on a night with a full moon.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 tablespoon simple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 ounces ginger ale
1 ounce cranberry juice
Combine bourbon, simple syrup, and citrus juices in the glass. Add ice and shake. Add ginger ale and stir. Add more ice if needed and float the cranberry juice on top.
I think of this drink as history in a glass. Sourwood honey is used in magic love spells in the Appalachian mountains, mint is a traditional folk medicine, and wild strawberries are common in summer.
2 tablespoons Kentucky sourwood honey dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water and cooled
3–5 mint leaves
3 small strawberries, stemmed and cut in half
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
Put the honey syrup, mint leaves, and strawberries in the glass and muddle lightly. Add ice and bourbon; shake. Garnish the rim with a slice of star fruit and a large stemmed strawberry into which has been stuck a mint sprig.
2 ounces grapefruit-infused bourbon
1 tablespoon brown sugar syrup
1 tablespoon juice of a fresh ruby red grapefruit
4 dashes Fee Brothers grapefruit bitters
Combine, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a stemmed red cherry.
SWEET PEACH TEA
2 large lemon wedges
2 ounces peach-infused bourbon
1 ounce simple syrup
6 ounces good brewed tea, cooled
Into the glass filled with ice, squeeze and drop the lemon wedges and add all other ingredients. Shake. Garnish with a large peach wedge and a sprig of lemon mint. Serve with a long straw.
Wood rose grows in the tropics. Its flowers look like dried roses with translucent beige petals and large brownish-black seed pods. I discovered the plant when I lived in St. Croix. The drink's color reminds me of the plant. I use a bourbon brand whose name echoes the plant's name.
1 part Woodford Reserve bourbon
1 part Tuaca
1 part Chambord
Combine all ingredients and shake over ice; strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with 3 fresh raspberries dropped in the glass.
AUTUMN DRINKS
Included in this section are my recipes for taking off that first autumn chill, for sipping while cheering on your favorite local sports team, and for treating yourself after handing out the Halloween candy to the neighborhood goblins.
Note: For the apple cider called for in many recipes, buy the kind available for a few short weeks in the fall from local orchards. You can also find it in neighborhood groceries and produce markets.
Many craft brewers across the country, from Maine to California, are experimenting with aging stout in used bourbon barrels and bottling bourbon stout. In fact, it's now an official, judged style at the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Louisville's Bluegrass Brewing Company makes Jefferson Reserve Stout, aged in Jefferson Reserve barrels. For more information, go to www.bbcbrew.com.
22-ounce bottle of bourbon stout, chilled
3 ounces apple-pear-spice–infused bourbon
1 can (12 ounces) frozen apple juice, defrosted (do not add water)
1 cup fresh apple cider, chilled
1 cup chopped apples and pears
Combine all ingredients except apples and pears in a 2-quart stoneware pitcher; stir. Add ice and the chopped apples and pears.
I recommend Louisville Stoneware pitchers and mugs. Susan likes Mary Alice (“Ma”) Hadley stoneware. Both stoneware lines are handsome, versatile products made in Louisville.
5 ounces fresh apple cider, heated
2 ounces apple-pear-spice–infused bourbon
1 tablespoon brown sugar syrup
Pour hot cider into a stoneware mug; add bourbon and brown sugar syrup. Stir; garnish with a cinnamon stick.
HOT KENTUCKY BOURBON CIDER 
This is a great drink to store in a thermos and take along to a fall picnic or tailgate party.
4 ounces hot fresh apple cider
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
Pour apple cider into a large heat-proof mug. Add bourbon and syrup; stir. Garnish with a large seeded apple slice and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
1 part Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 part DeKuyper red apple liqueur
1 part cranberry juice
2 parts non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider
Shake the bourbon, apple liqueur, and cranberry juice over ice and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Add apple cider and garnish with a red apple slice on the rim.
Go Team!
The next two drinks are ones I created to help fuel the intense rivalry between the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville sports teams. Annual matchups are played by the Wildcats and the Cardinals in both football and basketball.
1 ounce Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
½ ounce blue curaçao
½ ounce sweet and sour mix
Combine over ice, shake, and strain into a shot glass.
BIG RED
1 ounce Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
½ ounce DeKuyper Wild Strawberry liqueur
½ ounce sweet and sour mix
Combine over ice, shake, and strain into a shot glass.
Spooky Sips
These are for trick-or-treaters—age 21 and older, please.
GHOST IN THE GLASS
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
¾ ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream
dark chocolate syrup (the kind that creates a “shell” over ice cream)
On the inside of a chilled Martini glass, draw a ghost shape or two with the chocolate syrup. Shake the other ingredients over ice and strain into the glass. Garnish with a Peep's marshmallow ghost on the rim.
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
1½ ounces Dumante pistachio liqueur
1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream
few drops of green food coloring
Combine, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a green gummy worm.
MOONSHINE
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
¾ ounce Hiram Walker mango liqueur
¾ ounce limoncello
¾ ounce triple sec
Combine over ice and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a thin slice of lemon floated on top.
During that dark period in American history known as Prohibition, a handful of distilleries were allowed to make bourbon “for medicinal purposes.” (In fact, that's why you still see liquor sold in many Kentucky drug stores, a phenomenon often commented on by visitors to the Bluegrass State.) In this spirit, we include my recipes for hot drinks that will cure whatever ails you and, if you're not sick, will keep the germs at bay.
You'll also find many recipes suitable for winter holiday entertaining—Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Valentine's Day. The eggnog used in many recipes is stocked in grocery dairy cases during the holiday season.
FEEL BETTER KENTUCKY BOURBON TODDY
6 ounces boiling water
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon of your choice
1 ounce brown sugar syrup or undiluted Kentucky sourwood honey
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Pour boiling water into a heat-proof mug, add all other ingredients, and stir well. This is the perfect drink if you feel a cold coming on. If taken just before bedtime, use a high-alcohol, barrel-proof bourbon. Sweet dreams!
HOTTY TODDY
6 ounces boiling water
2 ounces spice-infused bourbon
¾ ounce brown sugar syrup
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
large lemon twist
Pour boiling water into a heat-proof mug. Add the other ingredients and serve with a straw. Drink while sitting in your favorite armchair by the fireplace.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
¾ ounce brown sugar syrup
6 ounces hot black coffee
fresh whipped cream
Pour the bourbon and syrup into a large heat-proof mug. Add coffee and stir. Top with whipped cream on which you drizzle more brown sugar syrup; sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve with a straw.
Thanksgiving and Christmas Drinks
HOT BUTTERED BOURBON
5 ounces hot water
2 ounces spice-infused bourbon
¾ ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce butter at room temperature (No butter substitutes!)
Into a heat-proof mug, pour hot water, bourbon, and syrup. Stir well. Add the butter and stir rapidly to mix the butter into the liquid.
This is my contribution to the bartending trend of using hard candy in cocktails. It has a beautiful red color and a hint of vanilla in the taste.
3 ounces candy cane—infused bourbon
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish by hanging a miniature candy cane on the rim.
CANDY CANE EGGNOG 
1 ounce candy cane–infused bourbon
3 ounces ready-to-drink eggnog
Combine and shake (no ice) and pour into a white wine glass. Top with whipped cream, grated nutmeg, and a miniature candy cane. Serve with two short straws.
CHRISTMAS PUNCH
1 ounce spice-infused bourbon
1 teaspoon brown sugar syrup
squeeze of lemon juice
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce sparkling wine
Combine all ingredients except the sparkling wine over ice, and shake. Strain into a champagne flute and top with the wine. Drop fresh cranberries in the drink to garnish.
CHOCOLATE EGGNOG
1 ounce spice-infused bourbon
½ ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
3 ounces ready-to-drink eggnog
Combine ingredients and shake (no ice); pour into a white wine glass. Top with whipped cream, grated nutmeg, and a miniature candy cane. Serve with two short straws.
Eggnogs. Left to right: Candy Cane, Traditional, and Pistachio.
PISTACHIO EGGNOG
1 ounce spice-infused bourbon
½ ounce Dumante pistachio liqueur
3 ounces ready-to-drink eggnog
2–3 drops green food coloring
Combine ingredients and shake (no ice); pour into a white wine glass. Top with whipped cream, grated nutmeg, and a miniature candy cane. Serve with two short straws.
POINSETTIA
1 part Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
1 part DeKuyper pomegranate liqueur
1 part brown sugar syrup
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge dropped into the drink.
Pumpkin Eggnog in a punch bowl.
PUMPKIN EGGNOG
4 ounces brown sugar syrup
1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 ounce spice-infused bourbon
3 ounces ready-to-drink eggnog
Stir brown sugar syrup into canned pumpkin puree. Keep
refrigerated in a jar with a lid.Combine 2 ounces of the pumpkin mix with bourbon and eggnog. Shake (no ice). Pour into a white wine glass. Top with whipped cream, grated nutmeg, and a miniature candy cane. Serve with two short straws.
1 ounce spice-infused bourbon
3 ounces ready-to-drink eggnog
brown sugar syrup to taste
Combine ingredients and shake (no ice); pour into a white wine glass. Top with whipped cream, grated nutmeg, and a miniature candy cane. Serve with two short straws.
New Year's Eve
KENTUCKY BOURBON SPARKLER
1 ounce bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
½ ounce Tuaca
4 ounces sparkling wine
Combine bourbon, syrup, and Tuaca in a champagne flute. Stir and add sparkling wine. Stir again and garnish with an orange twist.
CHOCOLATE CINNAMON HEART
1½ ounces cinnamon-infused bourbon
1 ounce Tuaca
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a cherry dipped in dark chocolate.
STRAWBERRY LOVE BITES
3 large strawberries
coarse brown sugar (Bourbon Barrel Foods Vanilla Sugar is excellent.)
1 ounce strawberry-infused bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce caramel sauce, honey, or Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Sorghum
1 teaspoon toasted, chopped almonds
½ ounce Tuaca
Remove the stems from the strawberries and hollow them out to hold the drink. Dip the rims in the coarse brown sugar. Put the caramel (or other) sauce into a large Martini glass and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar and almonds on top. Carefully place the strawberries in the glass. Shake the bourbon, brown sugar syrup, and Tuaca over ice and pour into the strawberries. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and serve with small sipping straws and a small spoon.