Kentiki Masala
This fun tropical drink created by Jake Smith, mixologist at Wild Flower in St. Louis, Mo., won the United States Bartenders’ Guild Lux Row Bourbon Battle on May 28, 2019, earning Smith a trophy and an all-expense-paid trip to the…
Cocktails
The Nasty Woman, the Private Server and the Bad Hombre
The Nasty Woman 2 oz. bourbon (I used Old Forester Signature) 1 oz. ginger liqueur (I used The Big O) 1 oz. brown sugar syrup (see below) 1 oz. lemon juice Lemon peel Pour bourbon, ginger liqueur and brown sugar…
An Old Fashioned with an Italian accent
A treasured bottle of limoncello that I brought back from Italy several years ago and opened to mark a milestone birthday led me to discover a delightful new cocktail that is perfect for warm weather. Learn how to make the…
Stirred Sour
Three years ago, I bought a bottle of limoncello in Sorrento as a memory of my first trip to Italy. The liqueur is traditionally made from the zest of Femminello St. Teresa lemons, also known as Sorrento or Sfusato lemons,…
The Negroni/Boulevardier/Americano
The Negroni is a classic cocktail featuring just three ingredients: gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, a bright red apéritif with a bittersweet taste. If gin’s not your thing, substitute bourbon or rye whiskey and you’ll have a Boulevardier. Or leave out…
Shrunken Heads: One Ghoulish Garnish
So, you’ve whipped up your Witch’s Brew for Halloween, and it tastes appropriately wicked. But there’s … something … missing. Of course! You need some shrunken heads as a garnish. I’m here for you. And you don’t even have to…
Woodford Reserve Butterscotch Manhattan
Several years back I was invited to Woodford Reserve’s Manhattan Experience, a competition co-sponsored by the bourbon and Esquire magazine that was held at the Kentucky Derby Museum. While the judges sampled variations on the Manhattan mixed by the…
Basil Hayden’s Pumpkin Bourbon Cider
Knowing that Halloween and Thanksgiving, the two holidays that revere The Great Pumpkin, are in our sights, the fine folks at Basil Hayden’s sent along this recipe. The resulting cocktail has a lovely orange hue and a pumpkin-pie essence; it’s…
The Fig Jig
The advent of fall calls for cocktails with rich, deep flavors. This one features both the dark fruit notes of fig and the brightness of orange, which is a natural complement to bourbon. Ingredients 1 tablespoon fig jam (I used…
The Kentucky Sparkler
Heaven Hill sponsored the opening night’s reception at the Bourbon Women’s Sip-osium at the Pendennis Club on Friday, Aug. 21, and three bartenders created cocktails using three of their products. My favorite, The Kentucky Sparkler, was mixed by Emily Hornback…
