Drink Matron

Tag: whiskey

  • Easy Camping Cocktails for Memorial Day

    Easy Camping Cocktails for Memorial Day

    It’s Memorial Day weekend, and for many of you that means it’s the first big camping holiday of the year. When I think of camping, it’s drinking that comes to my mind. While beer is most definitely the easiest way to imbibe while enjoying the great outdoors, there are plenty of mixers that are perfectly simple and even easy to pack. If you only have room for one bottle, that’s okay! Muddling, shaking, straining, and garnishing aren’t always necessary when you have the right combinations.

    Beergarita

    The most complicated drink on our list, the beergarita is perfect for those of you who are looking for a different take on the standard margarita. Plus, maybe those beer lovers at your campground will enjoy it. If you don’t have a blender, you can always mix this on the rocks, it’s just as nice, maybe even better.

    Ingredients:

    1 oz gold tequila
    1 oz triple sec
    1 oz lime juice
    12 oz bottle Corona® lager

    Mix all ingredients except the lager in a blender with ice. Pour into a large pilsner/pint glass, then add the Corona (which should be chilled) over the top. Garnish with a slice of lime, and serve.

    Cuba Libre

    Sometimes I think they named the Cuba Libre because “rum and coke” doesn’t sound as nice.

    Ingredients:

    1 part rum*
    1 part cola

    Combine in a cup over ice.

    *Whiskey is a good alternative.

    Dark N’ Stormy

    Ginger beer is so refreshing, and rum relaxing, that the combination may put you in a vacation mode immediately.

    Ingredients:

    1 part dark rum
    1 part ginger beer

    Pour ginger beer in a cup over ice. Add rum. Mix with your straw as you drink, slowly combining rum and ginger beer to create the best taste.

    Screwdriver

    You probably packed orange juice for breakfast anyway.

    Ingredients:

    1 part vodka
    1 part orange juice

    Combine in a cup over ice.

    Greyhound

    If you don’t have orange juice, you probably have grapefruit juice.

    Ingredients:

    2 parts vodka
    1 part grapefruit juice

    Combine in a cup over ice.

    Gimlet

    This is one that you probably should garnish. Cut up a lime and toss a few slices in.

    Ingredients:

    2 parts gin*
    1 part lime juice

    Combine in a cup over ice.

    *Alternatively, vodka can be used.

    Gin and Ginger

    Since you’ve got that ginger beer already…

    Ingredients:

    2 parts gin
    1 part ginger beer

    Combine in a cup over ice.

    Whiskey Sour

    Nice and refreshing.

    Ingredients:

    2 parts whiskey
    1 part sour mix

    Combine in a cup over ice.

    Bourbon Sweet Tea

    In the afternoon, nothing is better than sitting around the picnic table having a nice refreshing sweet tea. Why not liquor it up?

    Ingredients:

    2 parts bourbon
    2 part flavored sweet tea

    Combine bourbon and your choice of flavored sweet tea in a cup over ice. If you’re garnishing, garnish with lemon.

    Foodie extra

    Smoreos

    A new take on an old classic. Recipe courtesy of Andi Ponkey.

    Ingredients:

    Irish Cream
    Marshmallows
    Oreos

    Dip marshmallows in Irish cream before roasting. Instead of graham crackers, place the marshmallow between two sides of an Oreo.

  • Recipes: Irish Car Bombs

    The Irish Car Bomb is a staple of the St. Patrick’s Day diet.  This delightful bomb shot consists of Irish stout, Irish whiskey, and Irish cream, and is definitely a tasty addition to the line up of potent potables imbibed on this most auspicious of occasions.

    The Irish Car Bomb was invented in 1979 by Charles Burke Cronin Oat at Wilson’s Saloon in Norwich, CT.  Originally, Oat had crafted a shot he called “The Grandfather” which was two parts Baileys and one part Kahlua.  He felt something was missing from this and eventually added a splash of Irish whiskey on top of the shot.  Commenting on the bubbling explosion-like reaction the whiskey had on the shot, Oat proclaimed “the IRA just showed up!”  Thus, the Grandfather became the IRA.  Several years later, while Oat was drinking IRAs and Guinness, he impulsively dropped the explosive concoction into what was left of his beer and drank it.  It was a success with other patrons and now we have the Irish Car Bomb.

    In the time since then, Kahlua has been dropped from the recipe leaving only the Irish ingredients.  However, the original Irish Car Bomb is still around.  These days it’s called a Belfast Car Bomb.

    Irish Car Bomb

    • 1/2 pint Irish stout (typically Guinness)
    • 1/2 ounce Irish cream (typically Bailey’s)
    • 1/2 ounce Irish whiskey (typically Jameson)

    Mix the Irish cream with the Irish whiskey in a shot glass.  Pour the half-pint of stout into a pint glass.  Drop the shot glass into the pint glass and slam.

    Note: You should drink this as fast as possible because the way that the ingredients react to each other causes the Irish cream to curdle quickly.  The flavor isn’t affected but drinking a half-pint of curdled anything is just plain gross.

    Belfast Car Bomb

    • 1/2 pint Irish stout (typically Guinness)
    • 1/2 ounce Irish cream (typically Bailey’s)
    • 1/4 ounce coffee liqueur (typically Kahlua)
    • 1 splash Irish whiskey (typically Jameson)

    Mix the Irish cream with the coffee liqueur in a shot glass.  Add a splash of Irish whiskey on top of your shot.  Pour a half-pint of Irish stout into a pint glass.  Drop the shot glass into the pint glass and slam.

  • 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.

  • Jack Daniel’s Label Revamped

    Last month Brown-Forman, owner of the Jack Daniel’s distillery, announced that they would be changing the classic Old No. 7 bottle label to “clean up” the label and that the new bottles would be seen in stores starting in July 2011.  July isn’t quite here, but the new label design has been released.  I have to say that I like the new label, it looks less cluttered and a bit more refined without being to modern.  I think they did a wonderful job of updating the label without changing it.

    Old Label
    Old Jack Daniel's Label
    New Jack Label
    New Jack Daniel's Label