Delicious Whisky Cocktails
It’s the season for Whisky and Bourbon. Come shop your favorite Whisky or Bourbon here at the Wine and Spirits Cellar and try some of these recipes!
Mint Julep
Ingredients: Bourbon, fresh mint, sugar and water over ice
Packed full of ice, the Mint Julep is like the classy cousin that the Mojito only sees at fancy family occasions. With the same freshness, but packing more of an elegant punch, this classic cocktail is a fan favourite at the Kentucky Derby.
As there are so few ingredients, it’s important to get them right. Use the smallest leaves from the freshest mint you can find, and you can’t really use too much. Muddling the mint with the sugar is another well-used trick to get the most flavor out. Fights have broken out over less, especially in Kentucky.
Sazerac
Ingredients: Rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters and a sugar cube.
Absinthe and whiskey. There’s a bit of a trend appearing that the more popular the cocktail the more lethal it seems to be. The main ingredient was originally Sazerac Cognac, and while the brandy was replaced, the name remained. There is also now a brand of Sazerac rye whisky if you’re feeling sorry for the brand.
Serve it straight up or with ice, but the one essential part is the peel. Lemon or orange, a twist lifts the flavor away from the intensity of the absinthe. Whiskey Sours
Ingredients: Bourbon, egg white, lemon juice, simple syrup
Often called a Boston Sour, the first written mention of this sweet-and-sour drink dates back to 1870 in Wisconsin.
Despite the appearance over the past few years of various types of pre-made ‘sours-mix’. It is available in most supermarkets. To any self-respecting cocktail lover – which most of the internet now claims to be – this is no substitute to the original classic ingredients. Manhattan
Ingredients: Rye or Canadian whiskey, sweet red vermouth, Angostura bitters
The popular theory is that this was created in the Manhattan club in New York City in the early 1870’s, for a banquet hosted by Winston Churchill’s mother. Canadian whisky became an alternative during the prohibition, as it was more widely available.
Countless variations on this classic have appeared since then. Different versions making it sweeter, sharper, more expensive. Also, cheaper, or swapping out the whiskey or the vermouth altogether in favor of rum or tequila. Old Fashioned
Ingredients: Bourbon or rye, Angostura bitters, sugar, water
The number one whiskey-based cocktail that people searched for in 2016 was the Old Fashioned. It’s a fruity drink when you consider it’s whisky with a twist. Somehow by making it a little bit sharper, a little bit sweeter and a little bit lighter these four ingredients have made what most consider as the holy grail of classic cocktails.
