Cocktail Hour - The Kentucky Mule

I know, my obsession with ginger and bourbon continues...

They weren't both for me. Honest.

A Moscow Mule is made with ginger ale and vodka, so unsurprisingly the Kentucky variant is a mix of bourbon and ginger ale. This is often confused with a Mark n' Stormy, made with ginger beer. The clue is in the name...

Just to further cloud the issue, I've heard this cocktail called a Kentucky Gentleman, however I'm reliably informed that this moniker should apply only to brandy based versions.

I used Makers Mark again for this, which is a trifle sweet, so to lift things a bit I fell back on Angostura Bitters.
In addition I opted a large twist of lemon rind, squeezed/rubbed and thrown in - the natural oils in the rind combine with the ginger and bitters to give a spicy counterpoint to the sweet vanilla notes of the bourbon.
For a bit of extra freshness a mint garnish finishes things off nicely, but is not essential.

What you'll need:

• 60ml Makers Mark
• Ginger Ale
• Twist, lemon rind.
• Liberal dash, Angostura Bitters
• Ice
• Highball glass
• Mint, to garnish

Procedure:

• Throw a few ice cubes in to a highball glass
• Add a dash of bitters and then the bourbon
• Rub the lemon rind over the glass and put in
• Top with ginger ale
• Finish things off with a couple of mint leaves.

I don't really go in for this Valentine's Day stuff & nonsense, particularly when it comes to making pink frothy cocktails. However, I'm sure your dearly beloved / civil life partner will appreciate a Kentucky Mule or two before dinner this evening.

Failing that it ought to help numb the pain of seeing lots of nauseating couples swanning about like lovestruck teenagers.

With thanks to Hanna and Cathrine for acting as tasters. Much like the mint, female Scandinavian scientists are not strictly essential, but they're entertaining and do make proceedings look good.

(Despite slightly questionable big cat themed sock / jumper combinations.)

Cheers!

Cocktail Hour

Mark N' Stormy

A bourbon based riff on the classic Dark N' Stormy this week. (Traditionally a hot weather highball, it seems rather fitting given the endless stormy weather.)

Traditionally made with Goslings Rum, the swap for bourbon, in this case Makers Mark, works just as well. The sweetish vanilla notes of the bourbon complement the spiciness of the ginger beer. I find Old Jamaica perfect here, but feel free to experiment with different types.

Depending on the spiciness vs sweetness of the ginger beer used you can either simply garnish with a lime wedge or take the trouble to squeeze 20ml of fresh juice.
Old Jamaica is quite fiery so I have chosen to former, giving the wedge a bit of a squeeze as throw it in.

Equipment & Ingredients

60ml Makers Mark
Old Jamaica Ginger Beer
Lime wedge
Highball glass
Ice

Procedure

Chuck a few ice cubes in the highball glass
Pour over the ginger beer
Top with the bourbon
Squeeze the lime wedge over the glass a little and add.

Perfect for dreaming of warm Bermudian beaches on a dreary winters evening.

Cocktail Hour

A Short History of the Old Fashioned.

This classic bourbon based cocktail has seen something of a revival in recent years. A good thing in our view.

Paul Henreid & Bette Davis being served  an Old Fashioned in Now, Voyager (1942)

The Old Fashioned goes back a while.

The mixture of spirits, water, sugar and bitters originally came in to being as a morning bracer circa 1800. Often referred to as a Bittered Sling, gin, rum, bourbon or whiskey were freely interchanged. One argument is that spirits at the time were not of as high a quality as today, thus ways were found to flavour or sweeten them.
The addition of bitters, with its medicinal botanicals, technically makes the Old Fashioned an aperitif, served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. We're fond of a drink here at NU, however, hitting the hard stuff prior to our morning Weetabix is a bit much!

It is generally accepted that the Old Fashioned proper was invented around 1881 in Kentucky by the barman at The Pendennis Club in honour of a Colonel Pepper.

There are a multitude of differing recipes out there, specifying all sorts of bells and whistles. Ignore them.
The best cocktails are classics for a reason - they have been kept simple. Resist the urge to garnish with large wedges of fruit, cherries and so forth. You are not making a fruit salad.

Friday is here at last!

Ingredients / Equipment:

• 60ml Bourbon or Rye
• 20ml Simple Syrup*
• Dash, Angostura Bitters
• Strip of orange zest
• I large ice cube*
• Old Fashioned glass*

Procedure:

• Pour the simple syrup in to the glass. 
• Add the bitters
• Pour in the bourbon 
• Rub the strip of orange zest over the glass to release the oils and throw in
• Muddle contents
• Add ice cube.

A word on sugar - too many recipes specify using a sugar cube. If you do so make sure you work the sugar in to a syrup with a little water before you add the spirits. If not you'll end up with an unsweetened drink and a load of undissolved sugary clag at the bottom of your glass.
Trust us, we've been experimenting with this!

Some recipes suggest using orange bitters, this supposedly works better with a rye based Old Fashioned, though we have not tried this yet. One school of thought holds that one should use rye only, the argument being that most modern bourbons are sweet enough.

Rye whiskey is a little difficult to get hold of now, but once some is procured we shall further our researches.+

If anyone has experimented further please do report in your findings.

Bottoms up!

*For a Simple Syrup recipe see our post on The Gimlet.
*Not sure what came first, the glass or the cocktail. Any small tumbler or rocks glass will do.
*Don't over do the ice, why dilute all that bourbon?
+If you do want to experiment, but can't find a true rye whiskey, have a go with Canadian Club as it has a high rye content.

Cocktail Hour

The Bourbon Sour

After the recent glut of Gin based beverages it's time to surprise our livers with another favourite spirit of mine - bourbon. I bow to no man in my appreciation of sour cocktails, and the Bourbon Sour is an absolute favourite.

The rather lovely barmaid at Ruby swears by Four Roses, however as I have Makers Mark at home that's what I'm using. The sweetness of the bourbon, particularly the vanilla note to Makers Mark, offsets the sharpness of the citrus perfectly.

Some sour recipes skip the egg white. I would urge you not to - it adds an extra smoothness to the finished article and is worth the minimal faff of separating an egg.

Ingredients:

1. 50ml Makers Mark
2. 30ml lemon juice
3. 15ml simple syrup
4. 1 egg white
5. ice
6. lemon wedge

Equipment:

1. shaker
2. short glass

Procedure:

1. Dry shake the egg white first. (This improves the texture.)
2. Add the lemon juice, bourbon, syrup and a couple of ice cubes.
3. Shake well.
4. Strain over ice in to a short glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Bottoms up chaps! Enjoy.