Bring on the bourbon

November 29, 2012

This week’s posts are (mostly) all focused on entertaining over the holidays. Enjoy!

Over the past year or so, bourbon cocktails have become my go-to (I enjoyed a potent one with brunch at The Publican in Chicago — a tad strong for me as a morning drink, but I couldn’t resist!).

Wild Turkey 81 launched in Canada about a month ago and I had a chance to chat with associate distiller and Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member Eddie Russell when he was in Toronto. Wild Turkey 81 was developed as a lower-proof, older whiskey (as compared to a previous 80 proof whiskey they’d produced), says Russell. “Something for the younger generation. Bourbon has been an older gentleman’s drink, and we wanted something that was mixable that would appeal to men and women, something light and easy to drink.”

And easy to drink it is (um, so easy that I didn’t even manage to snap a photo of my Bacon Maple Bourbon Sour during our chat at the County General…oops!). If you’re up for breaking out the shaker and preparing some delicious bacon syrup this holiday season, I highly recommend this recipe (and puh-lease invite me over if you’re serving these up!).

If you want to experiment with your mixologist skills, Wild Turkey 81, thanks to its citrus, vanilla and caramel flavours mixes well with similar ones. As for pairing it with food, think meat. Traditionally, bourbon goes with steaks, BBQ and ribs, says Russell.

And if you want to drink it like a Southern gent, Russell drink his bourbon on ice, “because I love the flavour and taste — I was born and raised on bourbon.”

Filed under: Random Swellness,Swellbeing

Tags: bacon, bourbon, cocktail, County General, Eddie Russell, recipe, whiskey, Wild Turkey 81