Timberbeast
Infusing spirits always makes me kinda nervous because I’m never 100% sure it’s going to work out. If it turns out bad or just not up to my personal standards, I feel like I wasted a bottle.
Thankfully this roasted pecan infused bourbon worked out really well! I only infused half a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon (ya know, playing it safe) but now I wish I had done the whole thing. It’s like a cocktail in itself so I’ve mainly just been sipping it, but naturally I had to try making something with it!
instructions:
Combine ingredients & stir with ice. Strain into a coupe glass & garnish with a smoldering cinnamon stick.
Roasted Pecan Infused Bourbon
Soak 1 cup pecans in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain them well & spread out on a cookie sheet. Season with salt/pepper/cayenne & bake for 20 minutes on 300. Keep an eye on them & stir once or twice in there. Don’t burn them!
Let them cool completely then add to a container with 375ml of Bourbon. Store in a cool, dark place at room temperate for 5ish days, stirring once everyday. Then strain out the solids when it tastes ready!
This cocktail is made with high-proof bourbon (I used Old Granddad 114 but Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve was really nice too), a touch of quality vanilla liqueur and Rosato amaro; a bittersweet liqueur with fresh and fruity aromas of hibiscus and orange blossom. I also added some tropical spice bitters, but you can just as easily sub in aromatic bitters.
The Daiquiri is the perfect island drink, so I love the idea of making a version that uses Islay Scotch: whisky that is made on the Scottish island of Islay.
I recently did some cocktail development and photography work for The Whistler Irish Whiskey, a new whiskey expression from Ireland’s Boann Distillery. At this family-run distillery, the master distiller, beekeeper and master blender all came together to craft a whiskey-based “trilogy” that showcases some of the finest whiskey, smoothest honey and freshest cream Ireland has to offer.
Is it a Manhattan riff? Or is it a Sazerac riff? Both? I don’t really know, but honestly I’m just really enjoying the rye whiskey / cognac split base in cocktails lately.
Cardamaro Vino Amaro is also an interesting bottle (I find mine at the grocery store). It’s sort of a fortified wine, but it’s also sort of an amaro. If you can get your hands on a bottle, definitely give it a shot and use it like you would a vermouth.
Back in the day, it was just referred to as a cocktail, consisting of some sort of spirit, sugar, water and bitters. As drinking culture developed, the word cocktail came to refer to any sort of mixed drink. To get this now classic concoction, people had to ask their bartender specifically for “an old fashioned cocktail.”
Personally, the Boulevardier is my go-to cocktail for batching. Since it calls for equal-parts of each of the three ingredients, it’s super easy to scale up and make in large quantities. The Boulevardier also tends to be favored by people who aren’t usually cocktail drinkers– vs. the Negroni which can come off as a bit abrasive the first time you try it.
The origins of the Sazerac go way back to the early 1800’s, so the exact specs have undoubtedly changed in that amount of time. Early on it was made with brandy or cognac before bartenders started subbing in rye whiskey (which was a little more plentiful in the US). Lately, I’ve been enjoying splitting the base and using both cognac and high-proof rye.
Infusing spirits always makes me kinda nervous because I’m never 100% sure it’s going to work out. If it turns out bad or just not up to my personal standards, I feel like I wasted a bottle.
The Old Fashioned meets… well… Pineapple! The star ingredient in this cocktail is Pineapple Demerara syrup- and it’s definitely worth making! The syrup itself can be a bit inconsistent, so you may need to adjust the amount you add to the cocktail to properly balance it.