Tag: bourbon

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Home on the Range

The Story

Sometimes it is just nice to leave all the bartools in the drawer and just mix up a quick cocktail in the glass itself. If you are an Old Fashioned purest, that’s even how you build that classic drink (muddle sugar cube and bitters, top with bourbon and add ice). I prefer the mixing glass most of the time though…

The Home on the Range is a fun twist on the Manhattan, adding the orange liqueur, Cointreau to the mix. If Cointreau isn’t already a staple of your home bar, it needs to be, if nothing else to mix up the Cable Car or make your Margaritas a bit more interesting (technically it is a triple sec, which refers to how it’s made versus what it “is”…)

This cocktail wraps up our list for Fall 2024. It’s been a fun exploration of bourbon this season, so be sure to go back and try all the others, even if that means pulling our a mixing glass or a cocktail shaker in the process. Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Bourbon

0.25oz Cointreau

0.25oz Sweet Vermouth

3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish: orange and lemon twist (for the ambitious)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a chilled lowball (in the order listed)

Give it a swirl to combine

Drop in a single large cube (carefully!!) And swirl again.

Garnish with orange and lemon twist

Source: Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske

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The Left Hand (Runaway Style)

The Story

This cocktail was a bit of a journey. At that is all due to the presence of Campari. We introduced our first campari cocktail on the summer menu 2024 with the Jungle Bird. And even that edged towards a bitter level that, for newbies, was almost too bitter. But we are determined to figure out this crazy bottle, so here it is again on our Fall 2024 menu!

The original recipe calls for equal parts Sweet Vermouth and Campari, but we throttled that down a quarter ounce on the Campari to hold off a bit of the bite. And we even stirred a bit in the lowball after straining to take even more bite off the drink. What you end up with is a pretty interesting melding of sweet and bitter and a finishing note of chocolate. Definitely a good cocktail as the season gets cooler these days.

This one can be served up (no ice) or on the rocks (ice). Again, if you are new to Campari (or sweet vermouth) you might want to stick with the dilution you get from ice cubes. Baby steps to the straight up no chaser.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Bourbon

0.75oz Sweet Vermouth

0.5oz Campari

3 dashes of Chocolate Bitters

Garnish: Orange Twist wrapped around 3 brandied cherries on a pick (if you are ambitious!)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Mixing Glass

Add ice and shake for 30 seconds

Strain over cubed ice into a lowball glass

Stir to melt a little ice (and cut that campari a bit further)

Source: Regarding Cocktails by Sashe Petraske

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Figetaboutit!! (A PDT cocktail bar original)

The Story

Our first experience with “jam based cocktails” was the Cosmonaut, which is an amazing riff on the, oh so boring, cosmopolitan. Gin, Lemon and scoop of Raspberry jam. Check that one out! It’ll show up on this site eventually.

For the fall menu, we are introducing a second “jam cocktail” to the mix. This one has lots of interesting flavors that need the right balance to be great. We tried messing with the balance and quickly it was too sweet (upping the amaretto) or too sour (upping the lemon) or boring (lowering either of those). The only modification you might consider is two scoops of the fig jam. That adds a little extra something to the cocktail without throwing it out of balance.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Bourbon

0.25oz Amaretto

0.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1 barspoon Fig Jam

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish: Orange Twist wrapped around 3 brandied cherries on a pick (if you are ambitious!)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Cocktail Shaker

Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled coupe (neat)

Garnish with orange/cherry

Source: The PDT Cocktail Book

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The Boo Radley

The Story

This entry for the Fall 2024 Menu is very easy and very interesting. Based in bourbon, this cocktail is all about the balance of sweet and bitter. Cynar brings the bitter and Cherry Heering brings the sweet. As always with Cherry Heering, tread lightly. If you had too much, it will be far too sweet and ruin your cocktail. Start low and add if the bitterness is still too much for you.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Bourbon

0.75oz Cynar

0.5oz Cherry Heering Liqueur

Garnish: Lemon and Orange Peel (optional)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Mixing Glass

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora Glass

Source: The Essential Cocktail Book

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Midnight Stinger

The Story

This cocktail, coming from the great cocktail book by Steve the Bartender, has been a real hit as we wrap up the summer and get into fall. During our taste testing session this one was my personal favorite of the bunch (and that’s saying something, as will soon be seen when the Fall Menu 2024 launches Sept 1st).

This cocktail has the base of a whiskey sour, but it adds Fernet Branca and changes the whole game. This is an apertive that you will find sitting alongside things like Vermouth, Campari, and Amaro. Fernet can be sipped straight or mixed. We hope this cocktail serves as an introduction to a new bottle that might be less familiar.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1oz Bourbon

1oz Fernet Branca

0.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.75oz Simple Syrup

Garnish: Mint

The Build

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a lowball filled with cubed or pebble ice (if you have it)

Source: Steve the Bartender Midnight Stinger Recipe

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Red Raider

The Story

This cocktail comes from a share within our Runaway Anchor Patreon Speakeasy group. After making it a couple of times, I would classify this cocktail as “alcoholic tropical punch”. The bourbon is buried in this drink. The citrus is front and center with the lemon (or lime) balancing nicely with the orange in the Curacao and the rich grenadine syrup. If you aren’t making your own grenadine at home, consider buying the one we used from Portland Syrups and created by Anders Erickson. It is awesome!

Enjoy the last month of summer with this smooth sipper! But be careful, as each drink is still packing 2 oz of booze, and if you use a high proof bourbon, this drink could sneak up on you! Drink responsibly.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5 oz Bourbon

0.5 oz Dry Curacao

0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (or Lime Juice)

0.5 oz Anders Erickson Grenadine

The Build

Add all ingredients to a shake

Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a lowball over a single large ice cube

Source: Original found on Instagram (link lost)

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Whiskey Sour

The Story

This is another “anybody can make this cocktail” option. This was the first “complex” cocktail I made that also turned into a showpiece. I say “complex” because it requires quality ingredients and careful attention to the steps. There are two keys to this cocktail. First, always use fresh lemon. I know juicing isn’t convenient, but canned lemon juice will make a bad cocktail. Second, be very careful during the “dry shake” portion of shaking. The key to a shaker (any style) is the cold will hold the shaker together. Without the cold, the shaker will try and expand while shaking, and I have a few experiences with blowing the seal and splattering my kitchen with cocktail ingredients. So pay attention when you dry shake!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Bourbon

0.75oz Lemon Juice (fresh)

0.5oz Simple Syrup (rich demerara if you have it)

0.5oz Egg White (one egg, usually)

3 drops Angostura Bitters (garnish)

The Build

Dry shake all ingredient (minus bitters) for 20 seconds

Add ice to shaker and shake 20 seconds

Double Strain into low ball glass with fresh ice cubes

After the foam settles, Drip 3 drops of bitters on top of the cocktail

Source: Anders Erickson Whiskey Sour Recipe

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Why Not? – Death and Co. Original

The Story

This cocktail is an original, created at Death and Company by Devon Tarby in 2017. This is a twist on the classic sidecar, but adds in maple syrup to the mix. Perfect for the Winter Menu in 2024!

This cocktail features an herbal garnish of a sage leaf. We recommend not skipping the garnish on this one. Just like a Mai Tai just isn’t a Mai Tai without the bouquet of mint at the top of the glass, the “Why Not” mixes taste and smell perfectly here. And the bourbon called for in the recipe is not super expensive; so that’s great! Cheers!

The Recipe

1.75 oz Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon

0.5 oz Cointreau

0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5 oz Dark Robust Maple Syrup

Garnish: Sage Leaf and Lemon Wheel

The Build

Shake all ingredients with ice

Double strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice cubes

Garnish with Sage and Lemon Wheel

Source: Cocktail Codex, a Death and Company book

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New York Sour

The Story

As we prepare for the next season menu in April, let’s look back at a couple features from the Winter 2024 Menu. This cocktail is basically a whiskey sour with a red wine float. Our recipe skips the egg white that is often found in the whiskey sour. The goal here is to have the sour on the bottom and the wine on the top. See the note about using Bourbon. We tried it with Rye and it was too spicy to our taste, but of course, it’s you glass to experiment with.

The Recipe

2 oz Bourbon (skip the Rye here)

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.75 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)

0.5 oz Red Wine (for the float)

The Build

Add all ingredients (minus the wine) to a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds

Double strain into a chilled coupe (or Nick and Nora glass)

Pour over the backside of a spook, slowly add the red win float

Source: Cocktail Codex, a Death and Company book

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Winter Menu is now available!

The final menu of our first year has arrived! To keep you warm in the final months of Winter, we offer a collection of cocktails, highlighting several from the Cocktail Codex, an amazing book of cocktails from the folks at Death and Company. If you like these, grab a copy and explore the rest (there are hundreds upon hundreds of classic and original cocktails to discover!!) Cheers!!