Bourbon Drinks Page

Bourbon

Bourbon was born over 200 years ago in the hollows of Kentucky where the cold, clear limestone spring water flowed--water that made the grass blue, the horses frisky, the corn grow like crazy, and the whiskey sweet and smooth as honey. Bourbon whiskey, America's only native spirit, still makes its home in Kentucky, where today as much as 80 percent of the world's bourbon is produced.

Bourbon is distilled from a mash of grain containing, according to federal law, not less than 51 percent corn, balanced with barley and either wheat or rye. Each distillery has its own unique blend of grain and some of the mash recipes are generations old--family formulas jealously guarded since their creation. W.L. Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon is renowned for its "whisper of wheat", because its recipe, which dates back to 1849, has an unusually high proportion of wheat. Old Charter Kentucky Straight Bourbon, produced since 1867, has a specially tailored mash accented with rye. The rich amber color and characteristic sweetness of bourbon is derived from its signature aging process in new white oak barrels, which are charred to carmelize the natural sugars in the wood and bring them to the surface. While two years is the minimum time for aging established by law, most bourbons are aged between four and twelve years. Federal regulations also stipulate that bourbon cannot be distilled above 160 proof and must be bottled at no less than 80 proof.

Bourbon's distinctive and mellow taste makes it both an excellent compliment to food and a versatile ingredient in sauces and dessert recipes, particularly those made with chocolate.

Tennessee whiskey, commonly but incorrectly perceived as a type of bourbon, is made in a similar way, but with one extra step in the process that influences its final character and flavor. Before barreling, the newly distilled whiskey is mellowed--filtered very slowly over a period of ten days through charcoal made from seasoned sugar maple timbers, which gives the whiskey a unique smokey sweetness. This step is so significant that Tennessee whiskey is distinguished by law as a separate category of whiskey.

At the George Dickel Distillery on Cascade Creek near Tullahoma, Tennessee, and additional step is taken before the charcoal mellowing--chilling the whiskey before filtering, making it even smoother. George Dickel Tennessee Whisky (spelled without an 'e' because Dickel felt that his whiskey was equal in quality to Scotch whisky) is the only Tennessee whiskey that is produced today using this chill-filtering technique.

Jim Beam Colonel James Beauregard Beam was born in 1864. The Civil War was raging no far away. He died in 1947, the year of the first televised presidental address. His father, David M. Beam, was a 3rd generation Kentucky distiller. James B. made it 4 generations when he joined the family business in 1882. A few years later, after David M. retired, Jim Beam and Albert J. Hart (his sister's husband) built a new distillery to take advantage of a new railroad line. At the same time, about 2 miles down the track, R.B.Hayden was building the original Old Grand-Dad distillery. The Beam & Hart Distillery was famous for a brand the called Old Tub whiskey. Jim Beam reopened the plant in 1933 after Prohibition with new partners. He was 70 years old. The descendants of Jim Beam and his brother Park and uncle Joe have made whiskey for dozens of different Kentucky distilleries, including the ones that carry Jim Beam's name today.

George A. Dickel George A. Dickel was born in Darmstadt, Germany, about 1818. Around 1853 he came to Tennessee and established a wholesale whiskey business in Nashville. In 1866, he opened a retail liquor store. In 1888 George A. Dickel and Company acquired the sole rights to bottle and distribute all of the whiskey produced by the Cascade Distillery which had been established in 1877 in Coffee County and was then two-thirds owned by Dickel's partner and brother-in-law, Victor Shwab. Also in 1888, Dickel, who was then a 70 year-old man in failing health, fell off his horse and was injured, forcing his retirement. He died six years later.

Copyright © 1992 Charles Kendrick Cowdery

Allegheny

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel on top.

Americana

In collins glass, combine the Tennessee Whiskey, bitters, and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Fill with champagne and add a slice of peach.

Basin Street

Shake well with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Bourbon a la Creme

Combine with ice in mixing glass and refrigerate for at least one hour. Shake well and serve straight up.

Bourbon and Water

Pour Bourbon and water into old-fashioned glass. Add ice and a twist of lemon peel, if desired, and stir.

Bourbon Cobbler

Combine all ingredients in mixing glass, pour over ice into old-fashioned glass. Decorate with peach slice.

Bourbon Highball

Fill highball glass with Bourbon, ginger ale or club soda, and ice cubes. Add twist of lemon peel, if desired, and stir.

Bourbon on the Rocks

Pour Bourbon into old-fashioned glass half-filled with ice.

Brighton Punch

Shake with ice and pour into collins glass nearly filled with shaved ice. Then fill with club soda and stir gently. Decorate with orange and lemon slices and serve with a straw.

Buddy's Favorite

Pour ingredients into highball glass. Stir and serve without ice.

Bull and Bear

Shake with cracked ice, strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry and orange slice.

Chapel Hill

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add twist of orange peel.

Coffee Old-Fashioned

Dissolve coffe in water; stir in sugar, bitters, and Bourbon. Add soda and pour over ice in old-fashioned glass. Garnish with orange slice and cherry

Creole Lady

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with one green and one red cherry.

Daisy Dueller

Shake all ingredients except soda with ice. Strain into highball glass; add ice and fill with soda. Decorate with fruit slices.

Dixie Julep

Put sugar and Bourbon into collins glass. Fill with crushed ice and stir gently until glass is frosted. Decorate with sprigs of mint. Serve with straws.

Dixie Whiskey Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Gentleman's Cocktail

Pour Bourbon, brandy, and creme de menthe over ice into highball glass. Add club soda and garnish with a lemon twist.

Jocose Julep

Combine all ingredients in blender without ice. Pour into collins glass over ice cubes. Fill with club soda and decorate with a sprig of mint.

Kentucky Blizzard

Shake all ingredients with cracked ice. Strain into cocktail glass or over fresh cracked ice in old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a half-slice of orange.

Kentucky Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Kentucky Colonel Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.

Kiss on the Lips

Pour over ice into collins glass and stir. Serve with a straw.

Limestone

Into ice-filled highball glass, pour Bourbon, fill glass with collins mix, and add lime juice to taste.

Louisville Cooler

Shake all ingredients with cracked ice. Strain into old-fashioned glass over fresh cracked ice. Garnish with a half-slice of orange.

Louisville Lady

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Magnolia Maiden

Shake Bourbon, Grand Marnier, and Simple Syrup with crushed ice. Strain into old-fashioned glass with ice. Top with club soda.

Mint Julep

In silver julep cup, siler mug, or collins glass, muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water. Fill glass or mug with shaved or crushed ice and add Bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint spring and straws.

Mint Julep (Southern Style)

In silver mug or collins glass, dissolve powdered sugar with water. Fill with finely shaved ice and add Bourbon. Stir until glass is heavily frosted, adding more ice if necessary. (Do not hold glass with hand while stirring.) Decorate with sprigs of fresh mint so that the tops are about two inches above the rim of the glass. Use short straws so that it will be necessary to bury nose in mint, which is intended for scent rather than taste.

Narragansett

Stir in old-fashioned glass with ice cubes. Add a twist of lemon peel.

Nevins

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Pendennis Toddy

Muddle cube of sugar with water in sour glass. Fill with ice, add Bourbon, and stir. Decorate with two slices of lemon.

Red-Hot Passion

Pour all ingredients over ice into parfait or hurricane glass and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice.

Red Raider

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Southern Belle

Combine Tennessee Whiskey, Triple Sec, and juices in tall glass with ice. Top with Grenadine and stir once.

Southern Lady

Shake first four ingredients with ice and strain into parfait or hurricane glass half-filled with ice. Fill with soda to within one inch of top of glass and top with lime juice. Garnish with pineapple wheel and cherry.

Southern Peach

Fill parfait or hurricane glass with ice. Pour Grenadine over ice; add Bourbon. Into a blender jar, pour orange juice, sour mix, and schnapps and blend well. Slowly pour mixture into hurricane glass. Garnish with a peach slice.

Stiletto

Pour into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes and stir.

Throroughbred Cooler

Pour all ingredients over ice in highball glass. Fill with lemon-lime soda and stir. Add dash of grenadine, garnish with an orange wedge.

Trilby Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Last modified: Mon Jan 20 08:07:37 MET