Bourbon

This cocktail was created in a flash of inspiration to showcase overproof whiskey by offsetting it with wonderfully lush and flavorful ingredients. Strong Baker’s 107-proof bourbon serves as the backbone to the cocktail, providing vigor and heat. This is balanced with our rich homemade grenadine and fresh lemon juice to give a delightful sweet-and-sour balance. The Absinthe Bitters’ anise essence rounds out the cocktail, giving it a classic feel and third dimension. After conceiving the recipe, we were stumped for a name until we realized it was quite similar to a version of the Prohibition classic Millionaire Cocktail (page 66). Because of inflation and the fact that ours is a “richer” cocktail, we named it the Billionaire Cocktail.

Pêche bourbon is simply the French way of saying “peach bourbon.” These two items are as compatible a pairing as strawberries and vanilla. We wanted to showcase our peach-infused bourbon without overshadowing any of its subtle beauty. We blended it in the most straightforward way, with sugar and Peychaud’s bitters, then followed the ritual used to make the classic Sazerac cocktail (opposite): we first “season” the serving glass with French peach cordial. The ingredients swirl together in a slow dance, exciting the palate, then leaving it longing for more. This is a very delicate yet powerful cocktail. It is a great aperitif; it pairs well with grilled meats and seafood; and it is sublime as an after-dinner drink with a fruit tart or cake.

Most people today understand a Manhattan to be bourbon whiskey with a dash of vermouth, shaken or stirred—little more than a nice way to order a big shot of whiskey. Only recently have people once again acknowledged the necessity of bitters in the recipe. What happened? Prohibition all but annihilated rye whiskey production in this country; by the end of World War II, America had embraced Canadian whiskies as rye, even though most are made of a blend of grains. When we first began bartending, it was common for Manhattans to be made with Seagram’s VO or Crown Royal. But in the early 1990s, bartenders making Manhattans gravitated toward newly released single-barrel and small-batch bourbons to meet the expectations of the luxury crowd. As with Martinis, these customers demanded only a whisper of vermouth so as not to destroy the precious whiskey. Our recipe is an excellent expression of a Manhattan made with soft-natured bourbon. Rye whiskey makes a sharp, racy alternative. As for cherries, keep clear of the big artificial ones floating in eerie red dye. Pit fresh cherries and soak them for a few days in amaretto or cherry liqueur instead.

Try this with Chocolate-Pecan-Bourbon Pie (page 83).

This is not only our signature pie but, more than that, I consider it my “lucky” pie. In addition to its being our first National Pie Championships winner, our customers voted it into Good Morning America’s “Best Slice Challenge” contest. The segment aired just a few days before my first Thanksgiving in the shop, making it nearly impossible to keep this pie stocked for the holidays. To really blow your guests away, I recommend serving this pie warm with a drizzle of Bourbon Sauce (page 190) or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Bourbon whiskey, a uniquely American spirit, can be used in cooking the same way wine often is in French recipes, as a splash that lends a subtle, aromatic presence and a bit of moisture. A whiskey sausage, with its breath of musty sage, makes a perfect grilling patty for sandwiching in a bun smeared with tomato chutney. Or, you can roll the sausage into small balls and serve them with the chutney as a dipping sauce. Two things distinguish this speedy chutney from bona fide tomato ketchup: its consistency is a little looser and less dense, and it is made in little more than half an hour. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months before its savor diminishes. Use it also to accompany pork chops or grilled chicken or game.

Stack the deck in your favor by baking these unbeatable treats for your next get-together. Bourbon lends a pleasant bite that counteracts the sweet flavor of the currants. Other whiskeys can be substituted, if desired.

Porterhouse is a great cut of beef. You get a piece of the rib eye, a piece of the tenderloin, and (my personal favorite) a piece of the fatty tail. Grilled and soused with Molasses-Bourbon Steak Sauce, it’s a beautiful thing.

A few years ago, we had a server and a bartender who were in the middle of a “cleanse.” We tried their sordid-looking “drink” and decided to make our own, with booze, of course. Serve in a lowball glass.

When we're not drinking Manhattans, we'll take an Old Pal. Usually made with rye, we prefer it with bourbon (the higher the proof, the better).

This recipe is for the grill. Beef can also be cooked in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use a meat thermometer: rare—115 to 120 degrees; medium rare—130 to 135 degrees; medium—140 to 145 degrees. Buy a whole tenderloin, about 4 1/2 to 5 pounds, and have the butcher remove the “silver” connective tissue.

PAT My brothers and I are all “bourbon men.” We take ours neat, or lacquered to our ribs. Enough said. GINA I can’t believe I ended up with a bourbon-and-ribs man. Growing up, we always had chicken, hot dogs, smoked sausages, and burgers, but for some reason the ribs were always center stage. The women in my family were often throwing some crazy ingredient or other into their rubs and sauces—and don’t you know that we kept bourbon as one of them. We always had bourbon around for “ailments,” and not just the cooking kind. So what do I do? I go and marry a rib-grilling bourbon lover—was my life being planned even then? To this day, ribs and bourbon are like the “main act” in my life! Remember: in all grilling, the sauce and the rub must work together, like a good marriage. And when smoking those ribs, Pat will remind you to keep the heat “low and slow.”

PAT Let’s see . . . the cocktail queen has delivered something frothy, minty-fresh, cool, and spiked with bourbon (I like Jack Daniel’s). Do I need to sell this any harder than that? Forget the Derby and those silly hats—cool down and get down for Memphis in May!

These cute shot glasses fit the bill perfectly. You can buy them in bulk at your local restaurant-supply store, or online for a discounted price. Get them engraved, or make labels with your wedding date, or write a note and tie it to the glass with a decorative ribbon. Serve these with small demitasse spoons—because guests will want every last bit of that rich chocolate. When you think about it, special occasions don’t come much bigger than this. So why not give them something to remember the occasion by?

Is there really anything else to say? The keywords are “bourbon,” “caramel,” “pecan”! Oh, and “ice cream sundae”! Done.

Here we go back to New Orleans again, with Bourbon Street flair. Southern bourbon-soaked brioche bread makes a hearty Creole-style dessert.

I substitute molasses for the usual corn syrup in this version of classic pecan pie. The filling is every bit as sticky as you’d expect, and the molasses and bourbon add a deep, almost smoky flavor. Serve with vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of eggnog.