Next Monday is National Bourbon Day, and admittedly never having toured the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, I spent the better half of my adult life making up for the grave oversight. I cut my teeth bartending in Waikiki’s nightclubs, in an era where Jell-O shots were prepared and consumed daily. The craft cocktail culture having not quite hit Hawaii yet, I longed for a pre servative-free option that still provided the wallop of a Sexy Alligator, but without the added sugar. Enter, whiskey!
My first sample of whiskey was floated on top a layer of Bailey’s Irish Cream, above a layer of Kahlua and laboriously procured in a shot glass. It was infamously named the Duck Fart.
The heat from the 80-proof hooch rounded out the syrupy liqueurs and cleansed my pal ate of the fatty cream.
I couldn’t get enough. I sampled the available local selection, which at the time, seemed to consist primarily of seven main whiskeys. I nabbed tickets to the Chicago Whiskey Fest, where I tried a 30-year-old Glenmorangie scotch and an 18-year George T. Stagg bourbon, along with 60 other rarefied libations.
When I stumbled out of the late-night club scene, I even tually found myself behind the bar of one of the most recognized names in the culinary world, where I discovered a mentor who shared my zeal for the spirituous brown sauce. I spent two years toiling with him at one of the best whiskey bars in the state.
With the Fourth of July around the corner, I chose to celebrate our nation’s rich history with a cocktail using what Congress dubbed as “America’s native spirit.” During the late 1800s, when cognac was a scarce commodity, corn was in plentiful supply here in the U.S. A corn-based spirit seemed the obvious solution.
Bourbon is defined as having 51% corn in the mash bill. It must be aged for an indefinite amount of time in new, charred, white oak containers, which, according to Jim Beam master distiller Fred Booker Noe III, is responsible for up to 75% of the flavor profile.
About 95% of today’s bourbon is produced in Kentucky, as is Maker’s Mark, whose higher wheat content allows for a lighter bourbon perfect for cocktails, like this dry, yet thirst-quenching, watermelon and whiskey cocktail, curated for beach barbecues and saluting the scorching summer sun.
Kentucky Summer
• 1.5 ounces Maker’s Mark bourbon
• 0.75 ounces fresh-pressed lime juice
• 2.25 ounces fresh-pressed watermelon juice
• 0.25 ounces housemade simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water by volume)
• 0.75 ounces Dolin Dry Vermouth
• 8 mint leaves
• 0.25 ounces Aperol
• 2 drops rose water
Directions:
Build over ice in a double old fashioned or highball glass and stir to chill. Top with more ice. Garnish with mint sprigs. Enjoy!
Alicia Yamachika is a bartender and craft mixologist, who currently owns and operates her own bar consultation business. Follow her on Instagram (@alicia_yamachika). Her column will appear every second Wednesday in Crave.
