Adventures in Whiskey Drinks

Saturday, Kelly and I were doing some experimenting in obscure whiskey drinks.  My friend Wyl has recently decided to give whiskey another go, so I wanted to see if a number of distinguishably different  whiskies could be used in ways that would nuance and understate, rather than amplify and highlight, those highly distinguishable profiles.  The results are below:

The Leatherneck

• Ice in shaker,
• 2 oz. blended Canadian whisky (I used Canadian Club),
• ¾ oz. blue Curaçao (I used DeKuyper's),
• ½ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice,
• Shake into chilled cocktail glass,
• Garnish with lime wheel.

The photo doesn't even do this drink justice.  The Leatherneck is a gorgeous teal color, and tasted surprisingly light.  (Probably was the use of blended Canadian whiskey, which I find to be not as complex as American rye whiskeys or even Bourbons.)

The Fred Collins

• Ice in shaker,
• 2 oz. Bourbon whiskey (I used Four Roses "yellow label"),
• ½ oz. simple syrup (I had to make this.  I put about a shots-worth of water in the microwave for two minutes, then added several heaping tablespoons of sugar to the mixture and stirred until it dissolved.  I don't know if this is necessary, to be honest.)
• Juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed, 
• One splash Cointreau
• 6 oz. lemonade (re: the simple syrup above.  See what I mean?)

This recipe made way, way too much for even two drinks, but, once again, for a whiskey drink, it was surprisingly tart and refreshing.  The Bourbon's oakiness shined through, though, lending a complexity to this drink that would have been altogether different, if not lost entirely, if a fruity or citrusy gin (or, goodness forbid, vodka) had been used.

The Scofflaw

• Ice in shaker,
• 1½ oz. rye whiskey (I used Bulleit rye),
• 1 oz. dry vermouth (I used Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth),
• ¾ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice,
• ¾ oz. pomegranate grenadine (I didn't have this, so i used Rose's "nuclear red" grenadine.  This may have been a mistake),
• Shake into iced cocktail glass.

A great drink with a great name, I decided to really punch it up to the max with Bulleit, my spiciest rye, but it remained refreshing and tasty without it becoming overpowering.

All in all, before Saturday I thought whiskeys should be constrained to cocktails where their most potent flavor profiles would be on display (old fashioneds, Manhattans, Sazeracs, and the like).  But as these experiments show, whiskeys can stand up on their own in a number of fashions, lending their characteristics in a number of ways that don't need to be on display to be delicious.  I'm impressed.