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Posts Tagged cocktail

Maker’s Mark’s “Perfect Mint Julep”

May 2

Posted by Bourbon Buzz in Recipes | 1 Comment

It’s time to press your seersucker suit and unpack your fanciest hat because racing around the corner comes the most exciting two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby! More than just a sporting event, Derby is as much about fashion and sipping mint juleps as it is horse racing. So, what exactly is a mint julep? It sounds simple – ice, bourbon, sugar and mint – but the truth is there’s a lot of prep that goes into making this iconic drink correctly.

Maker’s Mark is one of Kentucky’s finest bourbons, handcrafted at the oldest operating bourbon distillery in the world. Rob Samuels, eighth generation distiller and grandson of Maker’s Mark Founder Bill Samuels Sr., has happily offered up his family’s personal recipe for The Perfect Mint Julep

“The Perfect Mint Julep”

(Serves 14-16)

 

Ingredients:

1 liter Maker’s Mark® Bourbon

Lots of fresh spearmint

Distilled water

Granulated sugar

Powdered sugar

 

  1. To prepare the mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves – wash and place in a small mixing bowl.  Cover with 3 ounces of Maker’s Mark.  Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes.  Then, gather the leaves in a clean, soap-free piece of cotton cloth and vigorously wring the mint bundle over the bowl of whisky.  Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times.  Then set aside.

 

  1. To prepare the simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water in a cooking pot.  Heat to dissolve the sugar.  Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn.  Set aside to cool.

 

  1. To prepare the mint julep mixture, pour 3 ½ cups of Maker’s Mark into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher.  (Pour the remaining whisky from the liter bottle into another container and save it for another purpose).  Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the Maker’s Mark.

 

  1. Now, begin adding the mint extract a tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture.  Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added.  You may have to leave the room a time or two to clear your nose.  The tendency is to use too much mint.  You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste – generally about 3 tablespoons.

 

  1. When you think its right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to “marry” the flavors.

 

  1. To serve the mint julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) half full with shaved ice.  Insert a sprig of mint and then pack in more ice to about an inch over the top of the cup.  Then, insert a straw that has been cut to one inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.

 

  1. When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice, add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice and serve.

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Hit a Home Run With Bourbon and Baseball

Apr 1

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Enjoy this bourbon cocktail to celebrate the opening of baseball season.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame
(The Peanuts & Cracker Jack Cocktail)
2 oz. Wild Turkey 101
1 oz. Frangelico
1 oz. Amaretto
.25 oz. squeezed lemon juice
1 pinch salt
4 oz. soda water
Handful of Cracker Jack, finely crushed

Rub half a lemon around the rim of a glass and place into crushed Cracker Jack to coat the rim. Combine Wild Turkey, Frangelico, Amaretto, lemon juice and salt in a shaker. Mix and strain into a glass with rocks and top with soda water.

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A Status Update Bourbon Cocktail on Oscar Night

Feb 26

Posted by Bourbon Buzz in Buzz, Recipes | Comments off

We saw this bourbon cocktail recipe on the Today Show and wanted to pass it along to our readers. The name of the featured cocktail is Status Update which is in reference to the movie, The Social Network.

Status Update

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Bourbon
  • 1/2 ounce Apple juice or 5 pices of apples
  • 3/4 ounce Ginger syrup
  • 3/4 ounce Lime juice
  • 3/4 ounce Royal Combier

Preparation

Get inspired like the inventors of Facebook by drinking MPD’s updated appletini just like Mark Zuckerberg and Sean Parker’s characters do in the movie!

Fill a shaker with Ice. Add 3/4 ounce of Royal Combier (orange liquor),1/2 apple cider, 3/4 ounce of lime juice, 3/4 ounce of ginger syrup, 2 ounce of Bulleit Bourbon. Fill a rocks glass with ice. Double strain to finish.

Recipe by Derek and Daniel Koch, Cocktail experts and co-owners of MPD. For more cocktails inspired by Academy Award nominated movies check out these recipes on Today Show’s website.

 

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Maker’s 46 Valentine’s Day Cocktail

Feb 7

Posted by Bourbon Buzz in Recipes | 1 Comment

As you know, last summer Maker’s Mark released Maker’s 46, the historic distillery’s first new bourbon in 52 years. With rich, creamy caramel and vanilla flavors that linger on the front of the palate, a touch of spice and a nutty nose, Maker’s 46 is an alluring drink to toast with over a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. Here is a Maker’s 46 cocktail created just for Valentine’s Day by Ryan Goodspeed, head bartender at the acclaimed Miami restaurant Michael’s Genuine Food & Wine. The Maker’s Heart is a tantalizing mix of our new bourbon with pomegranate juice, blackberries, lemon juice and an aromatic orange zest sugared rim.  Light some candles, turn on a Marvin Gaye album and enjoy with the one you love!

The Maker’s Heart

Shake and strain up or over ice. Garnish with an orange peel. Dash of Fee Bros. Orange Bitters. Rim with navel orange-zested sugar.

In a mixing glass combine:

  • 3 Blackberries
  • 1 oz POM 100% Pomegranate Juice
  • ¼ oz Lemon Juice
  • Muddle. Add ice and:
  • 2 oz Maker’s 46
  • ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth (preferably Carpano Antica)
  • 1 oz Simple Syrup
  • For sugar rim: Take one ounce of plain white sugar and zest it with four peels of orange.

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Wild Turkey Gives Us A Rooster of A Cocktail

Dec 24

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In honor of the opening of True Grit, the all-star remake of one of the all-time greatest films, Wild Turkey has put together this Old West cocktail with all the ingredients—the gold, the grit, the sarsaparilla and the whiskey—that shaped the now-mythic American West.

So catch a matinee, come home and make yourself up a “Rooster.” What better way to follow a new classic than with another?

Check out the recipe below and give it a try. Be sure to leave a comment and let us know if it is any good!

The Rooster
1 1/2 oz Wild Turkey 101
1/2 oz cinnamon schnapps laced with gold flakes
4 oz Sarsaparilla or any root beer
Salted rim (provides the grit!)

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Summer Bourbon Cocktails with Maker’s Mark & 46

Aug 14

Posted by Bourbon Buzz in Recipes | 2 Comments

Summer Breeze


1 part Maker’s Mark

1 part Ginger Ale

A splash of Cointreau

1 orange slice

Directions: Muddle an orange slice in an old-fashioned glass with a splash of Cointreau. Add in equal parts Maker’s Mark Bourbon and ginger ale. Stir gently. Top off with ice.

Char No. 46

Recipe courtesy of Ward III (New York, NY)

2 parts Maker’s 46

Muddled fresh peaches

1 part Averna Amaro

Dash of fresh orange juice

1 egg white

Bitters

Directions: Muddle peach in shaker and add all ingredients except the bitters. Shake vigorously for at least one minute. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Drizzle bitters on the foam and garnish with fresh peach.

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Celebrate Independence Day with Wild Turkey LiberTea

Jun 30

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Summer was designed to slow us down and to remind us to enjoy the hum of warm evenings with good friends, so you want to keep the prep to a minimum. Bourbon iced tea not only offers a twist to a summer favorite, but also provides opportunity for experimentation with minimal effort.

If you’re looking for a refreshing way to keep cool this 4th of July while staying loyal to the spirit of the holiday, try a new combination of some tried and true American summer classics.

One suggestion is a pitcher of LiberTea, a tasty combination of lemonade and iced tea that uses Wild Turkey Bourbon and American Honey–a honey liqueur from the makers of Wild Turkey–to add a sweet twist to an old standby. Perfect for a large gathering, it can be made in advance, allowing you to spend the rest of the afternoon tending to the grill, sitting back on the porch and enjoying the fireworks.

Don’t want to wait for Independence Day to enjoy a delicious bourbon tea? Celebrate national iced tea month in June with the Wild Turkey Mint Tea and Wild Turkey Sparkling Tea.

Jimmy Russell, master distiller for Wild Turkey Bourbon, believes that just because the Kentucky Derby is over doesn’t mean that the flavors of the Southern classic Julep are out for the rest of the season. Russell’s summer recipe, Wild Turkey Mint Tea, adds fresh lemon, lime, and sweetened

tea to the mint julep basic–mint and bourbon–to create an updated fresh take on the derby classic.

For another refreshing bourbon iced tea variation, the adults-only Wild Turkey Sparkling Tea is a great make-ahead option for BBQ’s, afternoon parties and outdoor gatherings.

The LiberTea
Ingredients (makes 1 large pitcher):
4 cups water
4 cups lemonade
4 black tea bags
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup Wild Turkey Bourbon
1 1/2 cups American Honey

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat; add 4 teabags of black tea. Steep 8 minutes; discard teabags. Add 2 cups cold water and lemonade; transfer to pitcher and chill. Add fresh basil leaves. Using a wooden spoon, crush basil until fragrant. Stir in Wild Turkey Bourbon and

American Honey. Serve over ice.

Wild Turkey Mint Tea
Ingredients (makes 1 pitcher):
4 cups water
4 black tea bags
2 tbsp Sugar
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cups Wild Turkey Bourbon
Juice of half lemon
Juice of half lime

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat; add 4 teabags of black tea. Steep 8 minutes; discard teabags. Add 2 cups cold water. Transfer to pitcher and chill. Add fresh mint leaves. Using a wooden spoon, crush mint until fragrant. Stir in Wild Turkey bourbon. Serve over ice.

Wild Turkey Sparkling Tea
Ingredients (makes 1 pitcher):
4 cups water
8 red herbal tea bags (such as lemon zinger or hibiscus)
2 cups Wild Turkey American Honey
Splash of club soda
Juice of one lemon
Cherries for garnish

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat. Add tea bags. Steep 10 minutes; discard tea bags. Add 2 cups cold water to tea. Stir in Wild Turkey American Honey. Transfer to pitcher and chill. Just before serving, add lemon juice and a splash of club soda for a touch of refreshing fizz. Serve over ice.

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Minty Fresh Bourbon Cocktails: Juleps and Mojitos

Apr 14

Posted by Bourbon Buzz in Recipes | 1 Comment


Springtime in Kentucky is bourbon drinking weather (what weather in KY is not?)! Anyway, spring weather goes hand-in-hand with thoroughbred horse racing, especially the Kentucky Derby. As most people know, the official drink of the KY Derby is the Mint Julep. Folks usually either love or hate the julep. If you are a julep hater or just looking for something refreshing and a little different, we have a couple of twists on the traditional Mint Julep and Mojito.

PAMA Mint Julep

Ingredients (for one cocktail):

* 2 oz. PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
* 2 oz. Evan Williams Bourbon (any bourbon will do)
* 2 Sprigs of Fresh Mint
* 2 Sugar Cubes

Directions:

In a mixing glass, muddle mint and sugar with Bourbon and PAMA. Shake ingredients vigorously over ice and strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and serve.

Thanks to Chuck Cowdery for this recipe.

Bourbon Mojito

Ingredients (for one cocktail):

* 1/2 lime, quartered (plus extra for garnish)
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 full sprig of mint
* 2 oz bourbon
* Soda water

Directions:

In a glass, muddle the lime, sugar, and mint until the sugar is dissolved. Add ice and bourbon. Stir well. Top with soda water. Garnish with lime.

Thanks to Shoes & Cocktails for this recipe.

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