Here's a warning for all you teetotalers out there: This blog entry is going to be devoted entirely to alcohol. Please forgive me now and read no further.
Specifically, I would like to dedicate this column to my grandfather's all-time favorite liquid on earth, Jim Beam. It was followed closely by oil and gasoline, which he mixed lovingly for his chainsaws, and bug spray.
Full disclosure: I got the idea for this blog entry from the Jim Beam folks themselves, who sent me a press release last week about a new bottle label featuring a portrait of Fred Noe, the latest in a long line of Jim Beam distillers. Cheers, Fred! You have your face on a bottle of "the finest bourbon on earth."
Incidentally, it also happens to be "National Bourbon Heritage Month." I swear, there's a month for everything.
Okay, I can sense the discontent of all you OTHER bourbon drinkers out there-- George fans, Ancient Age fans, you name it. There are dozens of bourbons out there to choose from. I just happened to be born into a Jim Beam family and fortunately I really enjoy the flavor of it. On occasion. You know, responsibly.
"Toddy time," as it is called in our family, is well known to begin at exactly 4 p.m. sharp. When a visitor was around at toddy time and Papa did not want to offend them, my grandmother quietly mixed him a Jim Beam and cola and left it on the bathroom sink so he could sneak out for a bathroom break. He lived to be 86.
At a new bar in Roanoke recently, a bartender referred to my drink as "Jim Bean and ginger ale." Ohhhhhhhh, no. This is baaaaaaaaaaaad. No bartender worth her (margarita) salt calls it "Jim Bean."
Although I can't imagine myself ever consuming a drink containing Jim Beam and anything other than ginger ale, cola or Sprite, I would like to pass along a few cocktail recipes from the Jim Beam family of liquors for those who might be interested. Many of them are holiday-related, so you can file them away for Christmas!
Of course, many of you may be disgusted by the mere thought of bourbon and I know that everyone has his or her own "signature" drink. So when you are at a cocktail party, a bar or a restaurant and the time seems right for a nice drinky-poo, what is your standard cocktail?
Oh, and by the way, happy Friday! Have fun in moderation and be safe this weekend.
HOLIDAY WREATH
1.5 oz. Jim Beam Black
.75 oz. DeKuyper Orange Curacao
1.25 oz. fresh sour
.75 oz. cranberry juice
Build in a highball glass, garnish with a orange twist and two straws.
BLACK NOG
1.5 oz. Jim Beam Black
.5 oz. Nocello
6 oz. egg nog
Shake all ingredients with ice until well blended. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, top with fresh ground nutmeg.
HOT KISS GOODNIGHT
1.25 oz. Makers Mark
.50 oz. crème de menthe (green or white)
.50 oz. White crème de cacao
4.0 oz. freshly brewed strong black coffee
Build in a coffee mug. Top with whipped cream and a Hershey’s Kiss
HOT TODDY
1.50 oz. Knob Creek
1 orange slice
1 lemon wedge
2 whole cloves
1.0 oz. honey dash of orange bitters
Steaming hot water
In a pre-heated glass coffee mug, crush cloves, then add fruit & bitters and muddle. Fill mug half way with steaming hot water and add honey stirring to dissolve. Add bourbon and fill with the steaming hot water.
Fred Noe image courtesy of Solstice Communications
Comments
[September 21, 2007 4:06 PM]
maryOh Lindsey.....can you mix me a drink soon! :)
[September 21, 2007 4:38 PM]
NonaI am a tequila lover, so I usually order a margarita, on the rocks with salt. The best margarita I have found in Roanoke is at Frankie Rowland's, where they made it with Cabo Wabo, an extra smooth, expensive tequila. Very nice!
[September 23, 2007 2:48 PM]
JohnSShame on you! Jack Daniels is *not* a bourbon!
JS
[September 23, 2007 4:48 PM]
LindseyShame on me indeed. Jack is whiskey. That's as bad as saying "Jim Bean." Or worse.
[September 24, 2007 8:35 AM]
BeckyWhat? No mint julep recipe? Come on! :) Well, OK, since it's past Derby season, I guess you can be excused. I'd recommend Woodford Reserve if you can get it, but I have heard of julep being made with any whisky instead of an actual bourbon. (Horrors!)
[September 24, 2007 10:20 AM]
LindseyAh, but Becky, I did post a recipe for mint juleps back around derby time. Here it is again: Mint Juleps (make syrup a day ahead)
2 cups sugar 2 cups water Sprigs of fresh mint Crushed ice Kentucky bourbon
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six to eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup (silver or pewter mug) with crushed ice and adding one tablespoon of mint syrup and two ounces of bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outsice of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Source: Kentuckyderby.com
[September 24, 2007 11:11 AM]
RichTo put ANYTHING other than clear, cracked ice, or spring water in bourbon is a crime against humanity.
[September 24, 2007 12:05 PM]
__NathanLindsey: You wrote "...my grandfather's all-time favorite liquid on earth, Jim Beam. It was followed closely by oil and gasoline, which he mixed lovingly for his chainsaws, and bug spray."
Was the bug spray an additional favorite liquid, or did he mix oil and gas lovingly to make it? If so, can you provide your Grandfather's bug spray recipe? :)
[September 24, 2007 12:31 PM]
LindseyNo, bug spray was an additional favorite liquid. He had a vendetta against all kinds of bugs. It didn't matter what kind of bug poison it was, he sprayed it on everything. Including himself. Not healthy.