Tag: Drinks

Oct 09

Top 5 Cocktails

Howdy, and welcome to Junior’s Bourbon Hall.  Here to help you learn how to make great cocktails at home.  In the last few days, I have been seeing more and more posts about people’s favorite cocktails for the fall or just to make at home.  This got me to thinking about what my list of top 5 cocktails would be I enjoy making at home to enjoy with friends or just sitting around watching the game. Top 5 Cocktails: Whiskey Sour This cocktail is simple and easy to make.  This cocktail calls for three essential ingredients: Bourbon, Sour Mix, and Egg Whites.  You can use whatever sour mix you like, but I will give you the recipe that I use below.  Add your bourbon, sour mix, and egg white to a tin filled with ice.  Now, you will learn how much sour mix to use as you make this drink more and more.  You want enough to mix the drink and fill your old-fashioned glass to the top. Shake the drink for 8 – 10 seconds.  Some people say you should dry shake first, but I have always combined everything, and the drink comes out with a nice froth on top of it when you pour it over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass.  Garnish with a luxardo cherry. This is a refreshing drink with a bit of pucker punch from the sour mix.  I use a good 100-proof bourbon for this drink, but you can use any whiskey that you enjoy. Old Fashioned This is the top of my list of cocktails I enjoy and make for others.  It is a little bit of work to make a really good old-fashioned, but, so worth the work.  This cocktail I am making here is a Wisconsin twist on the classic old-fashioned.  I enjoy the classic old-fashioned with a good steak or fancy dinner, but, the Wisconsin old-fashioned is great on a Friday with your fish fry.  Why I have dubbed it OFF…  Old Fashioned Fridays. You start making this drink in your old-fashioned glass. Place the Luxardo Cherry, Orange Slice, sugar cube, bitters, and a splash of mix in your glass.  Muddle everything together, then add your ice and your bourbon, then top off with a bit more mix. Garnish with two Luxardo cherries, and enjoy. The mix can be sweet (7-up), sour (Sour Mix or Squirt), or Club Soda.  I enjoy sweet the best, and then the second best is the sour with my sour mix.  This way of making the old-fashioned is rarely found outside of Wisconsin.  It does not have a strong alcohol taste; you can have a few of them with your fish fry and be happy. Jalapeno Margarita The Jalapeno Margarita is a great way to enjoy a margarita for those who like a little spicy kick.  To create this cocktail, you will have to do a bit of preparation to make it perfect.  For the preparation, take a mason jar filled with your favorite tequila, cut up one or two jalapenos, and add to the jar for 24-48 hours.  This can be done ahead of time and even in a full bottle of tequila if you would like. Place the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup in a tin with ice.  Shake for a good 10 seconds and then strain over ice in an old-fashioned glass.  Garnish with a lime wedge, and throw a couple of jalapeno slices into the drink.  I don’t salt the glass but feel free if you would like to. This drink has plenty of kick depending on the jalapenos and is one of my go-to during a taco Tuesday at home. The Godfather Cocktail This is a super simple cocktail that needs to be shaken, but if you want to, you can also stir this drink in the glass and stir it well.  You may not get as much dilution from the ice as shaking does, but it is quick and easy to stir the cocktail.  This drink became very popular in the 1970s when cocktails were strong and sweet.  It is also believed to be named after the movie The Godfather, which premiered in 1972.  I use a 2:1 ratio of bourbon to amaretto for this cocktail, but you can choose to lessen the amaretto to bring the sweetness down. Like a 2:.5 ratio or even a 3:1 ratio. Place the bourbon and amaretto into a tin filled with your ice.  Shake for about 8 seconds, then strain over a large cube in an old-fashioned glass.  It is a simple two-ingredient drink that is a bit sweet but very enjoyable and lets the spirit take center stage of the cocktail.  Mix this one up and enjoy Kentucky Colonel This last drink everyone may not have the Benedictine, but it is a great simple two-ingredient drink.  I enjoyed this one during the day of The Kentucky Derby.  This cocktail is mainly bourbon, so you will want to be able to enjoy our bourbon, which I do very much. Fill a mixing glass with ice and add your bourbon and Benedictine.  Stir in a glass for about 10 seconds.  Take a cocktail glass that has been chilled and strain the cocktail into the glass. No garnish for this one. Benedictine is an herbal liqueur that brings a sweeter note to the cocktail.  There are a lot of fall-type flavors in the Benedictine. This is a sipper type of drink enjoy. Thank you for reading, and I hope you find my top 5 cocktails worthwhile and tasty and something you may add to your favorite cocktails to make at home. Junior

Sep 30

Cocktails Tied to Sporting Events

Everyone has their favorite cocktails that they go to for any sporting event that they attend or watch on TV.  Here are some cocktails tied to sporting events for you to try.  Personally, at an early afternoon football game, I am going to the Bloody Mary Extra Spicy or the Screwdriver to start the day for the game.  Heading to a tailgate, there will be a bottle of canned beer and maybe a shooter or two to get the party started.  Now, what are some of the cocktails of famous sporting events?  Taking a look at 8 of the Most Iconic Cocktails Tied to Sporting Events | VinePair we will discuss four of these drinks in detail. Azalea Cocktail Quote: Widely considered to be the world’s most prestigious golf tournament, the Masters takes place each April in Augusta, Ga. On the course, a blanket of blooming flowers decorates the grass surrounding the 13th hole and inspires the tournament’s unofficial cocktail: the Azalea Cocktail. Consisting of vodka, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine, the Azalea takes on a bright pink color, similar to that of the blooms surrounding the green. While I have not personally crafted one of these cocktails, I have now learned of this, and next spring while I am getting ready to watch the Greatest Major The Masters, I will ensure I have the ingredients and prepare one or two before the event starts.  To get this drink to look similar to the plants around the 13th green, you will have to use just the right amount of grenadine.  Too much will be too dark and too little will be too light and could throw off the flavor as grenadine can be a bit sweet.  Looking forward to trying this cocktail Recipe: Mint Julep  This drink is tied to the best two minutes in sports, The Kentucky Derby. Quote: The Mint Julep has been practically synonymous with the Kentucky Derby since becoming the horse race’s official cocktail nearly 100 years ago. Traditionally made with Kentucky bourbon as its base, the Mint Julep combines the spirit with muddled mint and a splash of simple syrup for a lively summer sip. Classically distributed in a silver cup meant to mimic the winning trophy, the cocktail has been served at Churchill Downs since the 1930s, and today, nearly 120,000 Mint Juleps are sold during Derby Weekend each May. I have hosted a Derby party for the last six years and have made plenty of this cocktail.  Use Woodford Reserve bourbon for this drink.  Slap the mint and then add it to the bottom of the glass.  Fill it with crushed ice or ice cubes.  Then add the simple syrup and bourbon and stir the drink in the glass.  Top it with more mint and no straw so you get the smell of the mint with each sip of the drink.  I have also used a shortcut to place the mint into the simple syrup as you are making the syrup to get that nice minty flavor and not have to slap the mint for each julep.  You can prepare this drink beforehand and serve as your guests arrive for your party.  Give it a whirl and enjoy. Recipe: The Lily Cocktail This is the drink of the Kentucky Oaks which is the biggest filly horse race.  This will most definitely be on my next derby party drink list. Quote:While the Kentucky Derby is obviously the mainstay at Churchill Downs the first weekend in May, many may not know that a separate horse race actually takes place the day before: the Kentucky Oaks. Held on the Friday before the Derby, the winner of the Kentucky Oaks race receives prize money and a garland of lilies, hence the event’s official drink: the Lily Cocktail. Created by the event’s official vodka sponsor, Grey Goose, the cocktail takes inspiration from the Cosmopolitan with its mixture of Grey Goose, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup. The color of the cocktail is meant to pay homage to the winner’s lily bouquet and honor the race’s association with breast cancer awareness. Recipe: The Belmont Jewel Finally, the last drink to discuss is.  Staying with the horse racing theme, this is the cocktail of the final race in the triple crown of horse racing.  Made with Woodford Reserve again you will only need one bottle of bourbon to make a couple of different cocktails. Quote:Since the first two races in the Triple Crown boast their official cocktails, it’s only fitting that the Belmont Stakes, the final race in the series, receives its drink as well. Created in 2015, the Belmont Jewel — named for the race’s status as the final jewel in the Crown — is made using Woodford Reserve, the official bourbon of Belmont Park. The cocktail combines the bourbon with lemonade and pomegranate juice and serves as an easy concoction to serve in large quantities, which is exactly what the drink’s creators had in mind. This is a very simple cocktail to make and is made in the glass, so you don’t need a shaker or any other items for this.  This cocktail is very light and refreshing for everyone to enjoy. Recipe: Conclusion While plenty of other Cocktails Tied to Sporting Events, the above are some of my favorites that I have enjoyed.  What are some of your favorite cocktails to go with sporting events?  Or other events that you enjoy? Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Junior’s Bourbon Hall

May 31

Drink the Bourbon

Howdy and welcome to Junior’s Bourbon Hall.  Going to talk about how you can order your bourbon and when or why you might like them. How do you like your Bourbon Neat Rocks Mix Drinks Up First you can order your bourbon neat.  This is straight bourbon generally in 1 oz or 2 oz pours.  The drink will come in a snifter or a Glencairn glass.  Don’t worry if you don’t have either of these glasses you can still pour your bourbon into a rocks or cocktail glass.   With a neat bourbon you will get the full flavor of the bourbon.  Max proof and taste of the bourbon.  You will also be able to smell the bourbon which will bring out many of the flavors within the bourbon. The next way you can drink your bourbon is on the rocks.  This is your 1oz or 2oz pour on top of a large sphere or square of Ice.  You can also use 3 or 4 regular cubes if you don’t have the sphere or square of ice.  You will still get the full nose of the bourbon but, the proof will lower, and the flavors can and will be a bit different with the ice.  If you think a straight bourbon is to strong or spicy add an ice cube and try again to see if the flavor and spice change enough for you to enjoy.  The body of the bourbon will also lighten up. You would like to drink a bourbon neat while sitting around a fire with your friends and slowly sipping it.  Another way you would have this is with a nice dinner to bring out the flavor in your food as well as the bourbon.  Of course, just having a bourbon is always a great way to relax. Next you can have your bourbon mixed with a “mixer”.  Soda, Ginger Ale, water, and juices are all “mixers” you can use to change the bourbon into a mix drink.  Some of my favorites are Bourbon Sour made with fresh Sour mix.  A sour soda will work in a pinch.  You can also mix bourbon with lemonade and a splash of cranberry for a nice summer cocktail.  I do like to use a bit higher proof bourbon for the mix drinks to still have the bourbon flavor in the front of the drink.  Many bourbons are good in mixing and chose one that you would like to sip on occasion and mix in drinks so you can have one bottle serve multiple purposes.  For this drink you would take a cocktail glass add ice and 1.5oz of bourbon and top off with the mix of your choice.  Give it a stir and enjoy.  Here you can use almost any type of glass you have and mix to your personally taste. Mixing your bourbon is a goes great with a casual dinner, sitting around a campfire, on a boat ride with good friends or to refreshing yourself after a yard work or a round of golf.  Thanks for stopping by and learning how to order your bourbon for the tastes that you want.  Until next Cheers this is Junior for Juniors Bourbon Hall.