Drink Matron

Tag: Jim Beam

  • Jim Beam History and Recipes

    jim-beam-bottles-hed-2013From its invention in Kentucky in the late 1700’s to the renaming of the company in 1933, Jim Beam has been a must have in any home bar or drinking establishment.

    In 1795, Jacob Beam sold the first barrel of Old Jake Beam Sour Mash bourbon whiskey, beginning the roots of the Jim Beam brand. In 1820, he passed on his bourbon distillery to his son, David. Thirty years later, David M. Beam inherited the business from his father as well. By 1880, Beam’s Old Tub bourbon, due to railroad expansion and the telegraph, had become a national brand.

    In 1894, the man best known for Beam brand whiskey, James B. Beam, would take over the distillery and turn the drink into the brand we know it as today. Although he was forced to sell the distillery in 1920 due to the prohibition, he wasted no time after the passing of the Volstead act, rebuilding in 120 days. It is during this time that the name off the whiskey brand officially became Jim Beam Bourbon.

    The popularity of the brand has remained through three more generations of the Beam family, and with the addition of Booker’s, Baker’s, Basil Hayden’s and Knob’s Creek small batch bourbons, is the top bourbon distillery in the world.

    Agent Orange

    Ingredients:

    1 oz Jim Beam
    1 oz Yukon Jack
    1 oz Apple Schnapps
    1 oz Vodka
    1 oz Light Rum
    1 oz Triple Sec
    1/2 oz Grenadine Syrup
    2 oz Orange Juice

    Add the ingredients to a shaker. Shake well and pour into a cocktail glass over ice Garnish with a cherry and orange slice and serve.

    Kentucky Wildcat

    Ingredients:

    1/2 oz Jim Beam
    1/2 oz Southern Comfort
    1/2 oz Yukon Jack
    1/2 oz Jack Daniel’s
    2 oz Sweet and Sour mix
    2 oz Cola

    Pour the ingredients over ice in a cocktail glass, and stir gently. Garnish with a twist of lemon, and serve.

    Beam Me Up

    Ingredients:

    1 oz Jim Beam
    1 oz Amaretto
    6 oz Cola

    Combine Jim Beam and Amaretto over ice in a cocktail glass. Add the Cola on the top and stir. Garnish with a cherry and serve.

    Sunbeam

    Ingredients:

    1 oz Midori melon
    1 oz Jim Beam
    1/2 oz Creme de Bananas
    2 oz Mandarin juice
    2 oz Pineapple juice
    1/4 oz Grenadine

    Add all the ingredients but the Grenadine in a shaker. Shake well and strain over ice in a cocktail glass. Add Grenadine. Garnish with a slice of orange or cherry and serve.

    Smooth Dreams

    Ingredients:

    2 oz Jim Beam
    3 oz Cola
    Splash of Grenadine

    Combine the ingredients into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with a cherry and serve.

    BeeGee OJ

    Ingredients:

    1 1/2 oz Jim Beam
    3 oz Orange juice
    1 splash Grenadine

    Pour Jim Beam into an old fashioned glass over ice cubes. Add the orange juice, and a splash of Grenadine. Serve.

     

     

     

     

  • Devil’s Cut: The Devil Gets His Due

    Recently, bourbon and whiskey makers have been trying to come up with ways to flip whiskey making on its side.  The newest contender is Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut.

    Devil’s Cut is a play on the term “The Angel’s Share,” the portion of whiskey that evaporates from the barrel during the aging process.  The Devil’s Cut, as dubbed by the folks at Jim Beam, is the portion of the whiskey that soaks into the wood of the barrel during the aging process.  It’s the Devil’s Cut that makes whiskey barrels so desirable for aging other alcohol – that bit of whiskey that seeps out and flavors whatever is aging in the barrel.

    The Devil’s Cut is extracted using a process called “barrel sweating.” A portion of water is put in the barrel and then shaken and rolled to agitate the whiskey out and mix into the water.  Then, a “proprietary” process is used to develop an appropriate balance of bourbon in the water over a period of time.  The mixture is then combined with six-year-old bourbon to create Devil’s Cut Bourbon.

    Since this whiskey has been embedded in oak barrels for who knows how long, you can expect a strong oaky flavor (or as Gary Vaynerchuk would say, the Oak Monster) with a sweet, spicy undertone (cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, etc.).

    The big addition to Devil’s Cut from regular White Label Jim Beam is an aftertaste that goes on for miles.  Each sip will stay with you to the next, and beyond.