Thirsty Thursday | Bourbon Manhattan

I'm having one of those weeks incredibly 'off' weeks. 

It all started this past Saturday when while waiting for a friend at lunch - Ella spilled an entire cup of coffee on my pants and the floor. I was soaked through - front to back - in a teal pair of pants. It wasn't cute. After lunch we went to the park where Ella proceeded to give herself a bloody fat lip in a classic 'I saw that coming' fall. Sunday I went to the grocery store and ended up with a buggy full of groceries and not the one thing I went in for. I backed over Ella's tricycle on Monday morning. Tuesday started off with a leaky cup of milk that resulted in a change of sheets, a spot cleaning of the couch cushion and a collective second shower/bath for Ella and I. I'm sort of afraid of the rest of this week. 

Long story short - I need a cocktail. 

I had my first sip of a classic Manhattan last Friday night (before this week turned on me); and in an attempt to turn this week around I'm working on my own Freaky Friday switch back by learning to make this drink at home.  A classic Manhattan is made with whiskey or rye whiskey but I prefer bourbon (plus we always have a bottle of bourbon in our bar). Traditionally this classic cocktail is served 'neat' but feel free to serve it on the rocks if you prefer.

Bourbon Manhattan 

makes 1 cocktail

ice 

2 ounces Bourbon 

1 ounce sweet vermouth 

1-2 drops orange bitters 

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the whiskey, vermouth and bitters and stir to combine. Strain the drink into a chilled glass. Add one or two maraschino cherries and enjoy!

So clearly Thirsty Thursday needs a new title as I'm now posting Monday, Wednesday, & Friday instead of Tuesday & Thursday - look for this column to change names (but remain awesome) later this month! 

Thirsty Thursday: Clementine Hot Toddy

Winter is this|close to being over and wouldn't you know it, last week I had my first sick session of the year. Snotty nose, sore throat, congestion, headache - the whole damn shebang. But you know, I took the whole thing in stride, by creating a cocktail that I will now promote as a cure all as to excuse my day drinking. 

{Thirsty Thursday} Happy Happy Hour

Have you seen the wonderful dates that Ashley at Not Without Salt makes with her husband? I love this idea. Sometimes I get bummed because between the hubs and I both working full time, plus our own passion projects, and trying to see friends and family we don't often get one-on-one time. It is a blessing to have a full life! And I know I often take for granted being married to someone who works so hard. 

{Thirsty Thursday}: Sweet Tea and Bourbon Slushie

Dear Summer: 

  It is so nice to see you so early this year! I just love sweating before 9 am and not being able to go outside between 10 am and 3 pm. No really, my husband getting a sunburn before its even actually June, is just, well its incredible. 

{Just A Tip} Double the Vanilla

So we already know that I'm kind of obsessed with vanilla as evidenced by the fact that I once wrote a haiku about it. Vanilla bean paste was my go-to-ingredient until last December. I discovered I could buy vanilla beans in bulk on E-Bay. Yes, I know you are questioning the quality of e-bay vanilla beans, because I did too. I took a chance so you don't have to, but enough about how sweet I am to you guys. 

Death, Taxes and Banana Bread

Inevitably, you will have brown bananas. Ugly, spotty, squishy bananas. You are not even particularly fond of bananas and yet, here there you are, you and ugly bananas, together. You have tried every trick you know, and nothing will make those bananas look better. So here's what you do: you mash the life out of those bananas and you butter them up, egg them on, and share some bourbon. You really show those frickin' bananas what's what and they give you delicious, comforting bread.

Thirsty Thursday: Sours

 



I ordered a Whiskey Sour the first night Brian took me to Top Flor. I remember feeling like it was a confident but safe cocktail order. Of course in someways, I was right: David Woodrich has called Sours "the children of punches" meaning that they are as easy to make as they are to drink; And of course, I was wrong too, because a Whiskey Sour is basically a whiskey and water that goes down much, much too easy. Sours are trouble if you are out for the first time, at a bar, with a boy you find so handsome that you have to drink just to shutter the nerves.

A Sour is lovely if you fancy a drink and your bar or fridge is quite bare. It requires only an alcohol, sugar, some citrus, and some water. You don't even need a cocktail shaker. A jar with a resealable lid will serve just fine - and it multiplies well! The first party I ever tended bar at served a Whiskey Sour as their signature cocktail and I mixed in a pitcher.



For almost a hundred years (from 1860 to 1960) the Whiskey Sour was considered the most American of cocktails. It was and is quick and simple, without fuss or flair, and quite flexible. The only point of argument among barkeeps of a Sour may come from its name sake: the sour.



Now, I am partial to a balanced sour, without too much sweetness, but gentle enough to still taste the liquor in the citrus. Some keepers demand that a Sour bite your teeth and clench the jaw so much so that your lips pucker. Recipes vary in the use of a whole lemon, a half, or a quarter to one drink. Taste and determine what you prefer. Then make yourself a drink or make your friends some punch.



Sour

2 ounce liquor: whiskey bourbon gin

1 ounce water

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 a lemon, lime, or orange

Combine in a mason jar filled with ice. Lid and shake. Enjoy but be careful.