Published by Matt April 16th, 2007
in recipes, cocktails, bourbon, wine and liqueur.
I’m on a bourbon kick…for the last six or seven years… So, to anyone who knows me, it shouldn’t be a surprise that even a Champagne-themed Monday Mixology features a cocktail with a bourbon twist. The Seelbach cocktail is named for the most famous hotel in my hometown: Louisville, KY. It’s famous for its inclusion in the literary classic, “The Great Gatsby,” and for having jazz legend Dick Sisto in its house band. Since the hotel opened in 1905, it has housed nine presidents, countless actors, music legends, and Al Capone, and has been featured in many movies. With guests like that, craziness is bound to happen. Once such alleged act of craziness resulted in today’s cocktail…
Legend has it that the cocktail was created when a Seelbach bartender accidentally poured champagne into a customer’s Manhattan. On afterthought, that’s not so crazy at all. I’m sure much more interesting things have happened at the Seelbach that we’ll never hear about. Lucky for us this cocktail wasn’t one of them.
The Seelbach Cocktail is:
1 oz. bourbon
1/2 oz. Cointreau
7 dashes of Angostura bitters
7 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
5 oz. chilled Champagne
Combine the bourbon, Cointreau, and bitters in a shaker filled with ice. Stir briskly and pour into champagne flutes. Top with chilled Champagne. Enjoy!
Now head over to Married…with dinner to see the rest…
Published by Matt December 30th, 2006
in bourbon and reviews.
There really isn’t a better holiday gift amongst co-workers than booze; I will fight to defend that statement until my alcohol-induced rage subsides and the stress of the holidays melts away. But, seriously, you aren’t giving anyone something that they feel obligated to hang on the wall or display in some fashion. And if they don’t drink it, well, then they can just regift it and move on… And no one is the wiser. So when I received a bottle of Evan Williams Holiday Egg Nog, from a fellow employee, I was downright tickled; the Evan Williams is a product of Kentucky’s Heaven Hill distillery and I am originally a Kentucky boy. I took the bottle home to Kentucky for Christmas to share with the family.
I’ve always loved egg nog. And, I’ve always loved bourbon. So Evan Williams pre-mixed egg nog seemed like a great idea to me. With so much to do around the holidays, something quick and easy is a God-send. The bottle claimed that 7 year old bourbon and brandy was used. I poured the drink and topped two with nutmeg and two with whip cream and nutmeg. The drink was rich, creamy and full of vanilla and caramel flavors. It was very sweet, but egg nog is supposed to be dessert-like. The the egg nog is best cold, since the drink’s alcohol burned a little at room temperature.
All in all, the egg nog was excellent and definitely worth the price: free! But regardless of the price, the Evan Williams Holiday egg nog was an excellent alternative to making your own spiked egg nog. So although my family has multiple “nog” recipes (one with bourbon, one with only brandy), this is a fantastic and easy option for those looking for a holiday pick me up.
Published by Matt November 9th, 2006
in recipes, music, cocktails and bourbon.
“First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin…” I never really understood what Leonard Cohen was singing about in his classic song, “First We Take Manhattan.” The Canadian born poet always excelled at grandiose imagery. My issue with Cohen is that, although I admire his brilliant writing ability, his recordings always seemed to lack something. I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks so. At least two albums have been released featuring a number of big name artists covering his songs. In fact REM took on the aforementioned tune, while such artists as U2, Peter Gabriel, Pixies, James, Willie Nelson, and Sting, to name a few, have all covered Cohen’s songs as well. So where am I going with all of this obscure music trivia you ask? Well, I guess its the idea that sometimes the original thing isn’t the best. Take the Manhattan cocktail for instance. Originally, when the drink was first concocted in the late nineteenth century it was made with rye whiskey. Sometime later, the rye whiskey was widely replaced with bourbon. This sweetened the drink considerably and made it smoother. So the moral of today’s post is that sometimes revisiting a classic can improve it. So without further ado, I like the Manhattan thusly:
3 parts bourbon (preferably from Kentucky)
1 part sweet vermouth
a dash of bitters (to taste)
garnish with a maraschino cherry (or 3…)
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake, and pour into a chilled cocktail glass or serve on the rocks.
Recommended listening with the Manhattan…a Leonard Cohen cover album:
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