Bourbon, on the rocks with a splash of....

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JamesGuido

JamesGuido

Feeling the Heat
Jan 5, 2021
297
Raymond, Wisconsin
a few weeks ago, we enjoyed a very pleasant dinner & evening at one of Wisconsin's finest supper clubs.
If you are unfamiliar with the term "supper club", Google it.

anyway, as we sat to our table, the folks next to us ordered after dinner coffee and a Blade And Bow with a splash of liquid smoke.
now, i know Blade And Bow is a fine bourbon from Louisville with a very respectable history...
yet, i have NEVER heard of anyone adding liquid smoke to their bourbon or any other cocktail for that matter... and i'm as old as my tongue but a bit older than my remaining teeth...

well, adding weird crap to drinks isn't unheard of (my wife loves a few drops of bitters in her Tanqueray and diet Schweppes).

Has anyone here ever heard of this?
I'm thinking of trying it this Friday night as we visit another fine supper club.... just to flip another lid .
 
I guess it takes all kinds. The only thing that ever goes into my bourbon is two splashes of Angostura bitters and a partial teaspoon of simple syrup, along with the occasional muddled Luxardo and thin orange wedge.
 
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Ashful said:
I guess it takes all kinds. The only thing that ever goes into my bourbon is two splashes of Angostura bitters and a partial teaspoon of simple syrup, along with the occasional muddled Luxardo and thin orange wedge.
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Bitters AND syrup AND Lux AND orange??!!
Sounds a lot lot an ice cream drink
 
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Someone brought over a bottle of Second Sight smoked cherry rum to a meeting.
Never really went in for the flavored spirits. Popular flavored booze always seemed over the top - overly sweet, spiced, flavored. It seemed like a waste of good liquor (maybe that's for what 3rd rate alcohol is used).

This was good - Montmorency cherry (maybe ?), tart, definitely not sweet, with only a hint of smoke if you tasting for it. Would make for a good apéritif or digestif.

Otherwise, it seems a shame to adulterate a fine bourbon with liquid smoke. Like you got to hide something.
 
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JamesGuido said:
the folks next to us ordered after dinner coffee and a Blade And Bow with a splash of liquid smoke.
now, i know Blade And Bow is a fine bourbon from Louisville with a very respectable history...
yet, i have NEVER heard of anyone adding liquid smoke to their bourbon or any other cocktail for that matter... and i'm as old as my tongue but a bit older than my remaining teeth...

well, adding weird crap to drinks isn't unheard of (my wife loves a few drops of bitters in her Tanqueray and diet Schweppes).

Has anyone here ever heard of this?
I'm thinking of trying it this Friday night as we visit another fine supper club.... just to flip another lid .
Click to expand...
Whatever floats your boat. I like the traditional bourbon flavor profile, so I just drink it neat.
I've seen Blade and Bow on a few shelves around town, but never tried it. The look of the bottle struck me as marketing hype, and the proof was low. I see that the reviews aren't stellar. Sounds like something you wouldn't mind dumping a few additives into, if that was your thing. I don't have a sophisticated pallet by any means, but I'm pretty sure that if I tried a bottle, I wouldn't buy a second.
www.breakingbourbon.com

Blade & Bow Bourbon Review | Breaking Bourbon

Review and tasting notes for Blade & Bow Bourbon.
www.breakingbourbon.com www.breakingbourbon.com
 
JamesGuido said:
Old Fashioneds are made with Korbel Brandy.
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They certainly can be. But there aren't too many cocktails that have been served more frequently, and for more continuous decades, than a bourbon old fashioned. You've really never heard of it?
 
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Ashful said:
They certainly can be. But there aren't too many cocktails that have been served more frequently, and for more continuous decades, than a bourbon old fashioned. You've really never heard of it?
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certainly.
however, the Korbel Old Fashioned is a Wisconsin Supper Club staple.
www.winemag.com

In Wisconsin, A Distinctive Take on an Old Fashioned Cocktail

The classic Old Fashioned cocktail ditches convention in Wisconsin, where recipes feature brandy, garnishes and local pride.
www.winemag.com www.winemag.com

I believe bourbon was/is meant to drink neat.
add anything & you might as well have an ice cream.
 
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peakbagger said:
Just because its natural, doesnt mean its good for you.;)
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Hey, if we only do what's good for us, what have we got left? 😆

JamesGuido said:
I believe bourbon was/is meant to drink neat.
add anything & you might as well have an ice cream.
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Well, I like ice cream too but if I want a dessert-y drink, there are always bourbons that lean more toward the sweet side. I'll stick with those, and not add anything. 😏

Woody Stover said:
I don't have a sophisticated pallet
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"Pallet." Can you tell I've been stacking wood for a long time? 😆 But I've gotten away from pallets recently, thankfully..
 
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JamesGuido said:
certainly.
however, the Korbel Old Fashioned is a Wisconsin Supper Club staple.
www.winemag.com

In Wisconsin, A Distinctive Take on an Old Fashioned Cocktail

The classic Old Fashioned cocktail ditches convention in Wisconsin, where recipes feature brandy, garnishes and local pride.
www.winemag.com www.winemag.com
Click to expand...
I don't know much about Wisconsin, or why you assume that is somehow the pinnacle of taste, but I guess local customs prevail. Around here, if you walk into any nice restaurant/bar and ask for an "Old Fashioned" with no elaboration, it will be made with bourbon, ten times out of ten.

JamesGuido said:
I believe bourbon was/is meant to drink neat.
add anything & you might as well have an ice cream.
Click to expand...
"Meant to", by whom? I guess we could say God "meant" for our corn or tomatoes to be eaten the way they came out of the earth, but each tastes better with a bit of added salt. You have a strange perspective on how one should enjoy life or drink.

I like ice cream too, so you repeating that in every post is hardly the insult you intend it to be.
 
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Ashful said:
I don't know much about Wisconsin, or why you assume that is somehow the pinnacle of taste, but I guess local customs prevail. Around here, if you walk into any nice restaurant/bar and ask for an "Old Fashioned" with no elaboration, it will be made with bourbon, ten times out of ten.


"Meant to", by whom? I guess we could say God "meant" for our corn or tomatoes to be eaten the way they came out of the earth, but each tastes better with a bit of added salt. You have a strange perspective on how one should enjoy life or drink.

I like ice cream too, so you repeating that in every post is hardly the insult you intend it to be.
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i am not trying to insult anyone for any reason.
it's only an opinion.
it's a grain of salt.
 
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Agreed. I usually prefer my bourbon on the rocks, 2 oz pour with two regular ice cubes. But I do enjoy an old fashioned or neat, as well! Never tried it with liquid smoke, though.

I spent a period in my 30’s, trying to convince myself that I liked Scotch better than bourbon. It’s supposed to be the more sophisticated whiskey, after all. But in the end I decided I don’t really care to be so sophisticated, and I generally like bourbon better.
 
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Ashful said:
I don't know much about Wisconsin, or why you assume that is somehow the pinnacle of taste,
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I don't think he said that, but having lived my first thirty years in the Land of Cheeze, I can say that it's definitely not the "pinnacle of taste." That was where I was taught to crave greasy cheese and brats, and to enjoy the gut bloat that comes with quaffing a few brewskies. Ya'derehey! 😆
Ashful said:
"Meant to", by whom? I guess we could say God "meant" for our corn or tomatoes to be eaten the way they came out of the earth, but each tastes better with a bit of added salt. You have a strange perspective on how one should enjoy life or drink.
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Whoa, back up the truck, podner, yer gettin' a bit scrappy there! 😯 I guess you miss the fighting we used to do, since I haven't been on the BK thread lately, insulting your choice of stoves. 😆
My wife likes to mix all her food together. I like to taste things individually. So I drink my bourbon neat, and pop the ice cubes into my mouth separately. 😏
But I do take my tomatoes with a grain of salt.. 🍅😏
 
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Scotch and Irish whiskeys vary greatly just like bourbon does. There are large regional differences along with variations based on aging, style, and the distiller's skills. There are hundreds of variations, many of which don't make it to our shores.

For some easy sipping neat, try Monkey Shoulder for a blended scotch and Tullamore Dew for an Irish Whiskey. And for some really delightful sipping, try some Japanese whisky. Suntory Toki and Hibiki go down much too easily.
 
I may give that a tr, but it seems like, being a wood guy, I'm going to be partial to the #4 char White Oak flavors rather than the peat moss thing..??
 
Woody Stover said:
I may give that a tr, but it seems like, being a wood guy, I'm going to be partial to the #4 char White Oak flavors rather than the peat moss thing..??
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Not all scotch uses peat kilning. If fact, most don't. Peat is just used in certain scotches from specific regions. Centuries ago it was more common but now it is far from universal.
 
We could have a whole thread on Scotch. I favor the highland single malts, such as the Balvenie or Macallan. If you want abnoxiously peaty, head for the Islay single malts, such as Laphroaig. Not my thing, but some love it.

I have Tullamore Dew in the cupboard, mostly for mixed drinks (eg. Irish Coffee), but I don't think I've ever tried it as a sipping whiskey. Never really bothered with blended Scotch, other than if it's being served in a restaurant, etc.
 
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If that’s what you wanted why not order a Smokey whiskey. I like the Irish kind. Laphroaig is my favorite
 
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...thought i'd share my Wisconsin Maple Cocktail I enjoyed at The Packing House last night...

352527290_1610669629418407_3450576015051919939_n.jpg
 
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Ashful said:
I guess it takes all kinds. The only thing that ever goes into my bourbon is two splashes of Angostura bitters and a partial teaspoon of simple syrup, along with the occasional muddled Luxardo and thin orange wedge.
Click to expand...
An old fashioned? That's just for making low quality bourbon/whiskey drinkable. Drink good bourbon/whiskey/Scotch neat like God intended 😂😉
 
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SpaceBus said:
An old fashioned? That's just for making low quality bourbon/whiskey drinkable. Drink good bourbon/whiskey/Scotch neat like God intended 😂😉
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You just gotta poke that bear, eh? ;lol

Last night was Basil Hayden's bourbon, on the rocks. A surprisingly good distillation, for the price.
 
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SpaceBus said:
An old fashioned? That's just for making low quality bourbon/whiskey drinkable. Drink good bourbon/whiskey/Scotch neat like God intended 😂😉
Click to expand...
...and others groan at me for wasting money on cheap beer.

as my grandson says,

"whatever"
 
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