Bourbon!

Bourbon! is a tour-de-force of one of our favorite drinks. Learn how it’s made, what makes for a great bourbon, and some brands to look out for a while tasting some fantastic examples. A generation ago, they called it brown liquor. Now, we call it the angel’s share.   Do you know what all great liquor has in common? They are aged for many years –sometimes decades– in charred white oak barrels.

Barrel-aged booze is what this class is about. This is the class for boozehounds looking for the next great experience. From Tennessee Bourbon to Philly-made Bourbon, you will learn about (and taste) a fantastic selection of barrel-aged booze. This class features some of our favorite bourbons but includes a how-to to make great cocktails. We’ll even show you how to turn white spirits into your signature whiskey.

---

Tasting Sheets for Previous Bourbon Classes

November 2019

First Flight
High Corn: Jim Beam Bonded Kentucky Straight

High Rye: Four Roses “Small Batch” Kentucky Straight

Second Flight
Wheated: John E Fitgerald “Larceny” Kentucky Straight

Sour Mash: Old Bardstown Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Third Flight
Old Sherman Straight Brandy, Finished in Bourbon Casks

Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon, Finished in Brandy Casks

July 2018

Bourbon Cocktails
Ciderhouse Whiskey
1 oz. Bourbon
½ oz. Cider syrup

Hyperbolic Figster
Fig Bourbon, Splash of Balsamic, Ginger Ale

DIY

Bourbon Styles

Traditional Corn Bourbon
Eagle Rare, Kentucky Straight, 10 Year

Wheated Bourbon
Maker’s Mark, Kentucky Straight, Cask Strength, 7 Years (need from home)

Rye Bourbon
Four Roses, Kentucky Straight, Single Barrel, 8 Year

Finishing Barrel Bourbon
Savage and Cooke “The Burning Chair” Bourbon, 4 Year+ 8mo

Imbibe! The Whiskey & Cocktail Class

Barrel of Dead Yelps (new)
5 ounces barrel-aged rum, 5 ounces Bourbon, 4 ounces Lemon Juice, and 6 ounces Simple Syrup. Aged 2 months in a whiskey barrel.

Mamie Taylor (circa 1900).
1 part Scotch, 1 part ginger ale, lime wedge

Lower Manhattan (kinda new, maybe 1874)
1 part Contratto Vermouth Bianco, 2 parts Bourbon, Bitters

SCOTCH WHISKY
1. Deanston 12-Year Old Highland Single Malt Un-Chill Filtered

JAPANESE WHISKY
1. Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky
2. Suntory Hibiki 12-Year Japanese Whiskey

Bourbon, Barrels, and Booze (January 2017)

DIY Whiskey
white dog, toasted oak, water

The Bourbon Barrel
lemon, sugar, and bourbon aged for 3 months in a small whiskey barrel

The Illegal Cocktail: Dark & Stormy
rum and fermented ginger beer

IN THE BARRELS

Fruit
Navarre Smallest Barrel Brandy, California

Grass
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, Venezuela

Plant
Casamigos Anejo Tequila, Mexico

Grain
Russel’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon, Kentucky

The Bootleggers’ Bible
Summer 2014

The Essential Syrups, Cordials, & Infusions

1. Simple Syrup
Sugar and Water

2. Grenadine
Simple Syrup, Pomegranate Juice, Brandy

3. Lime Cordial
Lemon & Lime Juices, Simple Syrup, Kaffir Lime Leaves.

4. Blueberry Infused Whiskey
Rye Whiskey, Dried Blueberries.

The Essential Cocktails for a Philly Bootlegger

St-Germain Spritz
Champagne, St-Germain, Club Soda.

Fish House Punch
1 cup diced peach (when out of season: /12 cup each pineapple and mango), 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 cup water, 1 cup Applejack, 1 cup oak-aged rum, 1 cup cognac, and 1/4 cup sugar. Heat all non-booze ingredients together under medium-high heat until boil. Remove from heat immediately. Cool & mix in the spirits. Let sit overnight (or a minimum of 2 hours).

Jack Rose
2 ounces Laird’s Apple Brandy. 1-ounce lime cordial. 1/2 ounce grenadine.

Gimlet
1 ounce Gin to 1 ounce lime cordial.

Aviation
2 ounces Gin, ½ ounce Creme Yvette, 2 teaspoons Luxardo, ½ ounce lime cordial.

Sazerac
3 oz Infused Whiskey. 3/4 oz simple syrup. Absinthe (wet the glass, toss out the rest). Bitters to taste.

The Bootlegger’s Bible
Winter 2014

Mulled Chocolate with Rosemary

8oz water
6oz fine sugar
1 whole nutmeg
4oz cocoa powder
½ pound dark chocolate, chopped
2 clementines, halved and thickly sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
½ bottle of red wine

Place the water, sugar, cocoa, spices and chocolate in a pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk until the chocolate has melted and everything’s incorporated. Add clementines and rosemary and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Add the red wine and warm through gently.

Serve warm

Forest Fire

2 ounces Cachaça (or white rum) kah//SHAH/sah
Juice from one lemon
1/2 ounce maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 sage leaves, divided

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add white rum, lemon juice, maple syrup, paprika, and 3 sage leaves. Shake well for 30 seconds—strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a final sage leaf.

Barrel-Aged Cocktail

2 cups Simple Syrup
2.5 cups Calvados
2 cups Cognac
2 cups Sweet Vermouth
2 Liter used whiskey barrel

If the barrel has been used, you can age a cocktail for 2-3 weeks. If new, follow the cooper’s direction for preparing the barrel and only age the cocktail for 2-3 days.

Highland Tea

2 ounces  scotch
½ ounce Earl Grey syrup
½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes of chocolate bitters
1 lemon twist for garnish
To make the cocktail, combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, and shake well—strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Earl Grey syrup: boiling water, 1 Earl Grey tea bag, 16 ounces honey
Boil 8 ounces of water in a small saucepan. Reduce to low heat. When the water stops boiling, add the honey and teabag. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove the teabag, and allow the syrup to cool. Chill thoroughly before using.

The Spirits

1. The Botanist

2. Green Spot