September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, so we’ve been doing our best to celebrate. Last week we went to Kentucky to meet the new Woodford Reserve Double Malt Selections. Then we cracked open a bottle of Hudson Baby Bourbon for review. And today… well, today we feel like cocktails. So naturally, we’re thinking bourbon cocktails.
Except in this go round, we’re also calling upon another of fall’s favorite ingredients: beer. Each cocktail below begins with Russel’s Reserve Bourbon and utilizes beer to add more depth and flavor to the drink. In this case, an IPA topper and some stout syrup. Check below for the recipes.
Marshall Manhattan (Dean Castelli, Nick’s Cove, Marshall, CA)
2 oz Russell’s Reserve Bourbon
1 oz spiced stout syrup*
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Spiced or brandied cherries for garnish
Combine the ingredients with ice in a mixing glasses. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with cherries.
*To make stout syrup, combine 12 ounces of Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout with ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 whole cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; ¼ teaspoon allspice powder; zest of one-quarter lemon; juice of 1/2 lemon. Then in a saucepan, bring all ingredients to a simmer for 20 minutes, allow to cool and strain.
Photo: Nick’s Cove / Kellie Delario
2 oz Russell’s Reserve Bourbon
½ oz apricot liqueur
½ oz chamomile syrup*
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
2 oz IPA
Tarragon stalk, for garnish
Combine first five ingredients in a shaker with ice; shake and strain into a collins glass. Top with IPA. Add ice and garnish with fresh tarragon.
*To make chamomile syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated or raw sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add 1 cup fresh chamomile blossoms, allowing mixture to steep for 15 minutes. Strain out chamomile blossoms through a fine sieve.
