Joy’s Recipes
THE BIG KENTUCKY BOURBON BRANDS
Yes, 95 percent of the world’s bourbon comes from Kentucky. Aside from a tiny amount made by a handful of craft distillers, this whiskey bounty flows from just nine major distilleries. The following recipes have been created to showcase the flavor profiles of a product from each of the Big Nine.
THE BARDSTOWN COCKTAIL—BARTON 1792 DISTILLERY (BARDSTOWN)
We spend time every year at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, Kentucky, where we present a program called Bourbon Cocktail Mixology. Joy demonstrates how to make a cocktail using products from each of the sponsoring distilleries, and Susan provides unique facts about each. The venue for the event is virtually next door to the Barton 1792 Distillery (http://www.1792bourbon.com).
2 ounces 1792 Ridgemont Reserve
½ ounce Red Dubonnet
½ ounce White Dubonnet
4 dashes Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange wedge.
PINEAPPLE PUNCH—BROWN-FORMAN DISTILLERY (LOUISVILLE)
When Joy does events for nonprofit organizations such as Louisville’s Filson Historical Society, this is her go-to punch for a crowd. Old Forester was the first brand of bourbon to be sold exclusively in bottles, in 1870 (http://www.oldforester.com).
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 ounces pineapple juice
Combine in a pint glass over ice and shake. Add a splash of sparkling wine and a sprinkling of nutmeg. Garnish with a cube of fresh pineapple.
HOO DOO COCKTAIL—BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY (FRANKFORT)
Joy was inspired to create this cocktail on a trip to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in 2012. Buffalo Trace (http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com) is owned by the Sazerac Company, which is based in New Orleans—and, of course, pecan-flavored praline is a signature sweet of the Big Easy.
2 ounces Buffalo Trace bourbon
1 ounce praline liqueur
1 ounce Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass swirled with caramel sauce and a sprinkling of fresh ground cinnamon.
BLACKBERRY CORDIAL—FOUR ROSES DISTILLERY (LAWRENCEBURG)
This is one of the drinks Joy makes for Bourbon Cocktail Mixology. You can also strain the ingredients into two chilled cocktail glasses for a refreshing cocktail. Find information about the distillery at http://fourrosesbourbon.com.
4 ounces blackberry-infused Four Roses Yellow Label
1 ounce sorghum
1 ounce Kilimanjaro Foods ginger syrup
1 ounce Smucker’s blackberry syrup
1 ounce Kentucky Blackberry wine
Combine and shake over ice and strain into 4 3-ounce cordial glasses. Drop a fresh blackberry into each.
To make the infusion, combine 1 liter of Four Roses Yellow Label with 1 pint of fresh blackberries in a clean glass jar large enough to hold the ingredients. Leave on a shelf at room temperature for 4 days. Strain into a second glass container. Date and store in refrigerator, where it will last about 2 weeks.
GINGER SNAP—HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY (LOUISVILLE)
Joy’s introduction to Kentucky bourbon was in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, in the late 1970s. She drank Old Fitzgerald Prime with ginger ale and a squeeze of lemon. She was inspired to create the Ginger Snap when Kilimanjaro Foods released its ginger syrup. To find more information about Old Fitzgerald, go to http://heavenhill.com/brand/21.
¾ ounce brown sugar syrup
½ ounce Kilimanjaro Foods ginger syrup
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a splash of ginger ale. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS—JIM BEAM DISTILLERY (CLERMONT)
Joy couldn’t resist creating this cocktail when Beam released Devil’s Cut (http://www.jimbeam.com/devils-cut/about-devils-cut). The name signals the opposite of the Angels’ share, the whiskey that evaporates from barrels as they are aging. After the barrel is dumped for bottling, some bourbon is left soaked into the wood. Beam extracts this whiskey from the wood and adds it to the bourbon it bottles as the Devil’s Cut.
2 ounces Jim Beam Devil’s Cut
1 ounce Triple Sec
2 ounces Ocean Spray blueberry juice
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange slice.
GRAPEFRUIT OLD FASHIONED—MAKER’S MARK (LORETTO)
Joy says, “This cocktail reminds me of the broiled grapefruit I ate as a child. The spicy notes in Maker’s Mark make the flavors pop.”
2 ounces Maker’s Mark
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
4 dashes Fee Brothers grapefruit bitters
1 wedge pink grapefruit
1 cherry
1 ounce water
Lightly muddle fruit, bitters, and syrup in an Old Fashioned glass. Add Maker’s Mark, water, and ice. Shake and enjoy.
HONEY BERRY—WILD TURKEY (LAWRENCEBURG)
This is a very refreshing summer cocktail!
1 ounce Wild Turkey American Honey
1 ounce Russell’s Reserve
1 tablespoon simple syrup
3 ounces fresh orange juice
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drizzle with blackberry syrup and garnish with a blackberry and fresh mint.
CHERRY MANHATTAN—WOODFORD RESERVE (VERSAILLES)
Joy’s take on a classic Manhattan takes advantage of the excellent cherry flavor in the Woodford Spiced Cherry Bitters made by Bourbon Barrel Foods.
3 ounces Woodford Reserve
4 dashes Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters
1 ounce Kentucky cherry wine
Combine over ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh, pitted cherry.
HOLIDAY COCKTAIL—ANY OF THE BIG NINE
Cranberries and oranges are the flavors of Christmas and make a great cocktail combination. Any one of the premium bourbons in this section will work well in this drink. Experiment to find your favorite!
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
3 dashes Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters
3 dashes Fee Brothers cranberry bitters
1 ounce Grand Marnier
2 ounces Kentucky cranberry wine
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange wedge on the rim.
The Kentucky Derby season starts in April. That means it’s julep-drinking season, too. Every year, Four Roses Distillery sponsors a mint julep recipe contest. (See one winning recipe on pp. 49–50.) Joy has a mint julep dinner at Equus Restaurant and Jack’s Lounge with Woodford Reserve and Brown-Forman master distiller Chris Morris. Chris brings one of the $1,000 mint julep cups that are sold to raise money for Thoroughbred horse charities.
The crucial ingredient for a great julep—in addition, of course, to good bourbon—is the syrup. This recipe can be used for any of the juleps herein:
KENTUCKY MINT SYRUP
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cane sugar
2 cups Kentucky Colonel mint leaves
Add mint leaves to boiling water. Boil 2 minutes. Add sugar, boil 1 minute. Cover pot and remove from heat. Steep 6 hours or overnight. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate. Keeps approximately 1 week.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce mint syrup
6–8 mint leaves
Add syrup and mint leaves to the glass and muddle the leaves. Then add bourbon and 1 ounce of water. Fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a large sprig of mint.
PINEAPPLE JULEP
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce mint syrup
3 tablespoons chopped fresh pineapple
6 Kentucky Colonel mint leaves
Combine syrup, mint leaves, and pineapple in the julep cup and muddle. Add crushed ice to fill. Then add the bourbon and the pineapple juice. Garnish with fresh mint and a pineapple spear, then serve with a long straw.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce mint syrup
3 chopped strawberries
6 Kentucky Colonel mint leaves
Combine syrup, mint leaves, and strawberries in the julep cup and muddle. Add crushed ice to fill. Then add the bourbon and 1 ounce of water. Garnish with fresh mint and a strawberry and serve with a long straw.
FROZEN MINT JULEP
This is especially good on a very hot and humid day.
½ cup mint syrup
1 cup Kentucky bourbon
¼ cup mint leaves
Pour all ingredients into a blender. Add ice to fill. Blend. Pour into a cup or glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce white crème de menthe
1 ounce dark crème de cacao
Shake over ice. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a mint sprig or, even better, a chocolate mint sprig.
THE OLD FASHIONED—THEME AND VARIATIONS
The Old Fashioned cocktail as we know it today traces its roots to Louisville’s private Pendennis Club. It is still, by far, the most-mixed cocktail at the club. The house bourbon is Old Forester, so it (or its sibling, Woodford Reserve) is recommended in these recipes. But feel free to substitute bourbons of similar proof. The only exception is the recipe calling for Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, which has such a unique flavor profile that it would be difficult to find a good substitute. (Not that Old Forester and Woodford aren’t distinctive bourbons, too.)
2 ounces Old Forester Signature (100 proof)
½ ounce simple sugar syrup
6 dashes Angostura bitters
1 orange wedge—squeeze and drop
1 cherry—squeeze and drop
Combine syrup, orange, cherry, and bitters in the glass. Add bourbon and 1 ounce of water, then add ice and shake. Garnish with a large lemon twist.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB OLD FASHIONED
2 ounces Old Forester (86 proof)
1 ounce strawberry syrup (Smucker’s works well)
2 chopped strawberries
6–8 dashes Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters
Combine syrup, fruit, and bitters in the glass and lightly muddle. Add bourbon, ice, and 1 ounce of water. Shake. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim.
2 ounces Old Forester (86 proof)
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce Kilimanjaro Foods brown sugar syrup
6 dashes Fee Brothers plum bitters
3 cubes fresh pineapple
1 wedge fresh plum, if available
Combine syrup and fruit in the glass and lightly muddle. Add ice, bourbon, and juice. Shake and garnish with a pineapple wedge.
BLUEBERRY ORANGE OLD FASHIONED
2 ounces Woodford Reserve (90.4 proof)
1 ounce blueberry syrup (Smucker’s works well)
6 dashes Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters
6–8 blueberries
1 orange wedge—squeeze and drop
Combine syrup and fruit in the glass and lightly muddle. Add bourbon, 1 ounce of water, and ice. Shake. Garnish with an orange twist.
2 ounces Woodford Reserve (90.4 proof)
1 ounce Kilimanjaro Foods ginger syrup
2 lemon wedges—squeeze and drop
1 cherry
4 dashes Angostura bitters
4 dashes Fee Brothers lemon bitters
Splash Korbel (or other) sparkling wine
Combine syrup, fruit, and bitters in the glass. Add ice and bourbon. Shake. Then add a splash of sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.
CHERRY OAK OLD FASHIONED
2 ounces Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
1 ounce Kilimanjaro Foods brown sugar syrup
3 Bourbon Barrel Foods Woodford Reserve cherries
4–6 dashes Bourbon Barrel Foods Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters
Combine syrup, fruit, and bitters in the glass. Lightly muddle. Add ice, bourbon, and a splash of juice from the jar of cherries. Shake and garnish with a cherry.
For this refreshing summer drink, use the ripest, sweetest peaches you can find. Those from Trimble County, Kentucky, are notably good.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce Kilimanjaro Foods ginger syrup
4 fresh peach slices, peeled
2 fresh pitted cherries
Combine all ingredients, except the bourbon, in the glass and muddle. Then add the bourbon, enough ice to fill the glass, and top off with water (about 1 ounce).
FRUIT MANHATTANS
The classic Manhattan cocktail is made with whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Vermouth is a fortified wine, so these recipes offer a little twist on the classic by using Kentucky wines in place of the vermouth. While you are probably aware that 95 percent of the world’s bourbon is made in Kentucky, you may not know that the state was home to the first commercial winery and the first professional vintners’ association in the United States. There are seventy wineries in the state today, producing bottles ranging from sweet to dry. For a complete list of wineries and their products, go to http://www.kentuckywine.com. In addition to many made with grapes, a lot of Kentucky wines are made with other fruits. If you live outside of Kentucky, check your local wine shop for fruit wines from your region to use in these recipes. These recipes employ many different flavors of bitters, too. The basic recipe will be:
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
4 dashes bitters
1 ounce Kentucky fruit or honey wine
Combine over ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish.
Always use Kentucky bourbon, then try these Manhattan variations:
Wine Honey Strawberry Cherry Peach Plum Cranberry Blackberry Blueberry |
Bitters Lemon Rhubarb Cherry Peach Plum Cranberry West Indian orange Lemon |
Garnish Large lemon twist Large strawberry Pitted fresh cherry Peach slice Plum slice Orange twist Orange wheel/blackberry Lemon twist/5 blueberries |
Now that you know the basic recipe, have some fun and create your own fruit Manhattans!
ORANGE DROP
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
2 ounces fresh-squeezed orange juice
4 dashes Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a candied orange slice.
You can make your own brown sugar syrup by dissolving 2 cups of light brown sugar in 1 cup of boiling water. After it cools, bottle and date it. It will keep, refrigerated, for 2 weeks. Or you can use Kilimanjaro Foods brown sugar syrup.
SUMMER MANHATTAN
3 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce white wine
4 dashes Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters
1 ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice
Combine over ice, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a large orange twist.
This recipe makes about half a gallon of punch, so it’s great for a party where you want a signature cocktail. Be sure to use fresh, ripe fruit.
1 liter Kentucky bourbon
1 cup brown sugar syrup
1 12-ounce can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
Combine liquids in a large punch bowl and whisk together. Add:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup chopped peaches
Add 1 750-ml bottle of sparkling wine. Stir to combine and ladle into ice-filled cups. Include some fruit in each.
KENTUCKY SANGRIA
12 ounces Kentucky bourbon
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup Triple Sec
1 750-ml bottle red wine made in Kentucky
1 12-ounce can defrosted pink lemonade (do not add water)
Combine in a pitcher and stir well. Add orange wheels, lemon wheels, sliced strawberries, and green grapes. Serve over ice in wineglasses and include some fruit in each drink.
SOUTHERN SANGRITA
Sangrita (not to be confused with sangria!) is often served as a chaser to a shot
of tequila. Bourbon is substituted to make a single drink. Warning: You may breathe
a little fire after drinking this.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce tomato juice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce jalapeño pepper juice
Combine over ice and shake. Pour into a glass and garnish with an orange wheel, a lime wedge, and a small, fresh jalapeño pepper or pepper slice.
This is the perfect cooler for a hot Kentucky summer afternoon.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce fresh lime juice
3 watermelon cubes
Combine in blender with ice. Blend and pour into 2 glasses. Garnish with a small watermelon wedge or lime wheel.
PINK BERRY
This is a festive and colorful cooler for a midsummer picnic!
½ liter dried strawberry-infused Kentucky bourbon (80–90 proof)
12-ounce can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 12-ounce cans ginger ale
Combine ingredients in a 2-quart glass pitcher and stir. Add 10–12 lemon wheel slices and 10–12 cleaned, hulled, and sliced fresh strawberries. Let sit about 30 minutes. Serve over ice and garnish with half a strawberry and a sprig of mint.
Here’s how to infuse the bourbon:
6–8 ounces dried strawberries (available at Whole Foods and other specialty stores)
Pour bourbon into a half-gallon jar and add dried strawberries. Put on the lid and give the jar a good shake. Let it rest on shelf or counter for 3 days. Strain through fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean glass jar. Label, date, and store. It does not need to be refrigerated, but use within a week.
COCKTAILS USING BOURBON-BASED PRODUCTS
In recent years many distilleries have released whiskies infused with flavorings. By law, only distilled water can be added to bourbon to adjust its proof. Nothing can be added to bourbon to change its color or flavor. So once a flavoring is added, the whiskey is no longer technically “bourbon.” Whatever their designations, these products have been very popular and can be the basis for some very enjoyable cocktails.
BLUEBERRY TWIST
2 ounces Evan Williams Honey Reserve
1 ounce Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Ocean Spray blueberry juice
Combine over ice and shake. Drop in 5 blueberries and a large lemon twist to garnish.
In addition to the honey flavor, Heaven Hill has two other flavored expressions of Evan Williams: cinnamon and cherry.
BLACK CHERRY BOUNCE
Cherry bounce was a homemade cordial popular on the early American frontier. This is an updated version. Other Red Stag flavors are maple and cinnamon.
3 ounces Jim Beam Red Stag black cherry
1 ounce brown sugar syrup
2 ounces Ocean Spray cherry juice
Combine over ice and shake. Drop 3 fresh, pitted cherries in for garnish.
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream will make you forget all about other cream-based liqueurs. Try a shot of it in hot coffee during the winter. When you tour the distillery in Frankfort, the guides offer a tasting of “the best root beer float you’ve ever had,” which is the bourbon cream added to root beer. Highly recommended.
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
1 ounce Kahlúa
2 ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream
4 ounces cooled strong coffee
Combine over ice and shake. Top with fresh whipped cream, grated fresh cinnamon, and a cherry.
KENTUCKY COFFEE COCKTAIL
Angel’s Envy is aged in port wine barrels, which gives it a very winelike finish. This is based on a historic recipe that used brandy instead of bourbon. The cocktail separates into layers and looks like coffee: hence the name.
2 ounces Angel’s Envy
2 ounces port wine
1 egg (whirled in a blender to mix the white and yolk)
Combine over ice and shake until thoroughly mixed. Strain into a chilled champagne flute.
If you like the Scotch-based liqueur Drambuie, you will love American Honey. Enjoyable on its own, it is especially good with a squeeze of lemon.
2 ounces Wild Turkey American Honey
½ ounce Wild Turkey 101
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
6 dashes Fee Brothers lemon bitters
1 ounce Kentucky honey wine
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish by floating a thin lemon wheel on top.
PEACH SURPRISE
There’s actually some Kentucky bourbon in Southern Comfort, which is owned by the New Orleans–based Sazerac Company. That’s the “surprise.”
2 ounces Kentucky bourbon
½ ounce brown sugar syrup
½ ounce Southern Comfort
3 ounces Ocean Spray White Cran-Peach Juice
5 peeled, sliced peaches
Combine all ingredients, including the peach slices, over ice and shake. Garnish with 3 fresh, pitted cherries and serve with a straw.
1½ ounces Kentucky bourbon
½ ounce Tuaca
½ ounce dark crème de cacao
1½ ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream
Pour bourbon, Tuaca, and crème de cacao over ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Carefully pour the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream into the center. The drink will separate into layers.