Classic Cocktail – The Whiskey Sour

17. August 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: beverage · Tags: , , , , , ,

If you have been following my blog for any length of time you should know by now that I am a huge Bourbon fan. While I’ve never met a Whiskey I haven’t liked, over the years I’ve found that I prefer Bourbon to all other Whiskeys, including Scotch. I’ve always been a Bourbon, at least since my college days, when I drank copious amounts of Jim Beam. While in culinary school I discovered Basil Hayden and the rest of the Super Premium Bourbons and haven’t looked back since. Basil Hayden is still one of my favorites, although I can’t afford it often so my “go to” Bourbon is Maker’s Mark or Buffalo Trace.

While in college I usually drank Jim and Coke, or did straight up shots, but occasionally I would go on Whiskey Sour kicks. I quickly outgrew those drinks as they always seemed too harsh and abrasive. It wasn’t until years later that I rediscovered what great drinks “Sours” could be once you gave up on that nasty premade bottled stuff made with chemicals, acids and a very small percentage (if any) of real juice. Real purists will probably tell you that it is best to make each and every drink completely from scratch. While I will occasionally make my Sours this way, I prefer to streamline the process and make up a batch of homemade sour mix. This is a great time saver, but only make enough to use up in a couple of days. After that, the fresh lemon and lime juice starts to oxidize and loses that wonderfully fresh flavor that one can only get with fresh squeezed juice. Technically, the sour mix will stay good for a week or so, but to really experience the drink in its prime use up your sour mix in a day or two. Also, this drink is all about freshness so don’t even consider using a shortcut and buying one of those plastic lemons and limes. It’s not worth it and you might as well just go ahead and purchase the sour mix itself. Trust me those plastic lemons and limes taste nothing close to fresh squeezed.

Finally, and I’ve covered this before, but it’s been awhile, many old, classic drinks contain egg white. It lends a rich, almost creamy mouth feel to cocktails. Make sure that you use the freshest eggs you can get your hands on and don’t overdo it or it will add an off flavor to your drink. If the thought of a bit of raw egg white totally grosses you out, you can skip it and the drink will still be good, but I encourage you to try it, at least once, and see if it doesn’t elevate the drink from just good to great.

Sour Mix
makes about 4 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups Water
1 cup Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup Lime juice, freshly squeezed

Combine the sugar and water in a small pot, bring to a boil and cook just until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain the lemon and lime juice to remove any and all pulp and add to the cooled simple syrup. Chill until ready to use. Best if used in the first 3 days but will stay good for a week or so.

Whiskey (Bourbon) Sour
makes 1 drink

2oz. Bourbon
3oz. Homemade Sour Mix
1 Tbl. (1/2oz.) Egg White”"

Combine Bourbon, sour mix and egg white in a cocktail shaker and dry shake (shake without ice) for 5 seconds. Add ice to fill the shaker half way and shake for about 20 seconds. Strain into a tumbler filled with ice, making sure to allow the shaker to drain completely. Garnish with a cherry and lemon or orange wheel. You will notice in the picture above there is no cherry. We had some maraschino cherries in the fridge but it looks like my daughter got to them before I did!

**Egg whites can be difficult to measure out as they want to stick together. You can combat this by adding a drop of water to the egg white and giving it a quick beating with a fork to break it up. If it still wants to cling together it’s best to under portion the egg white rather than over portion it.

Gingered Bourbon Sour

19. March 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: beverage · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Like most of the people in the upper Midwest, I can’t believe the weather we are having. We’ve had almost a full week of 70-80° temperatures and it’s barely the middle of March. Of course, we’re all holding our breath, just waiting for winter to make one last bid for supremacy. We watch the news religiously expecting to hear that the season’s worst blizzard is heading our way and that this weather is nothing but a short tease before we are plunged back into sub zero temperatures.

That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been out, enjoying this early preview of summertime. It seems that every day our neighborhood is infused with the aromas of people grilling out and watching the kids play outside in their shorts makes me think that the end of the school year is right around the corner, not Spring Break.

To celebrate this early taste of summer I created a new cocktail. Well, okay, I hate to say “created” as someone, somewhere has probably come up with this flavor combination before, but it’s new to me. You will need to make a couple of things first though. You will need to make the Ginger Lime Syrup and Homemade Sweet and Sour Mix, both recipes follow the main recipe. The Ginger Lime Syrup I originally created as a flavoring syrup for homemade soda and while it makes an okay Ginger Ale, it makes a much better mixer for cocktails. But if you have a Sodastream, or another such carbonator, give it a try. Of course you could use store bought sour mix, but why? It tastes nasty and leaves a strange aftertaste in your mouth. Besides, it masks all the other wonderful flavors in this drink.

While, techniquely this drink really would be considered a collins because of the addition of soda to top the drink I’ve called it a “Sour” which I’m sure will annoy those sticklers out there. Either way its still a good drink. I also haven’t added the egg white, which is often customary in a classic sour and which gives a “Sour” its creamy smoothness.

Gingered Bourbon Sour
makes 1 drink

2 oz. Bourbon, your favorite brand (whiskey would be fine also)
2 oz. Ginger Lime Syrup, recipe below
3 oz. Homemade Sour Mix
Club Soda
Lime, or Lemon slices

Fill a highball or Collins glass with ice. Pour in the Bourbon, ginger syrup and sour mix. Give a quick stir then fill with club soda and garnish with lemon or lime slices. After finishing the first one, enjoy another, and maybe another…only if you aren’t planning on driving anywhere!!

Ginger Lime Syrup
makes approximately 3 1/2 cups

2 cups Water
1 1/4 cup Sugar, granulated
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
3 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp. Coriander seed, lightly cracked
3 Limes
1/8 tsp. Salt

Combine water, sugars, ginger and coriander in a sauce pot, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, covered. Remove from heat and allow to steep 10 minutes more. Meanwhile zest and juice the limes. Add the zest and salt to the ginger mixture and steep 5 minutes longer. Strain and cool. Once room temperature add the lime juice and refrigerate until ready to use. Will hold for 2 weeks.

Homemade Sweet and Sour Mix
2 cups Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 1/2 cups Simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar ratio)
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/3 cup Orange juice, freshly squeezed

Combine all ingredients and strain to remove any pulp and/or seeds. Refrigerate until needed. Will last for about 1 week, but tastes best within a day of making.

Bourbon Peach Slush

21. August 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: beverage · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This past Saturday the family and I headed down to Wauwatosa (a suburb of Milwaukee) for the #MKEfoodies Potluck Picnic. #MKEfoodies is a group of food bloggers, food writers, food enthusiaists and anyone interested in the Milwaukee food scene. While Fond du Lac is about an hour north of Milwaukee I became aware of the group this past spring when I donated a few dozen cookies to their bake sale in support of kid’s cancer research. Since then I’ve lurked among the fringes of the group, following their exploits via Twitter. With the long drive, crazy schedule for both my wife and I, and the fact that we have a 4 year old, I haven’t had a chance to make to any of their events. So when I heard that they were having a picnic on the weekend I knew I had to get involved.

Needless to say, it was a great time, with the folks (Lori & Fred) over at Burp! Where Food Happens, organizing the whole event. Thanks you guys!!! Everyone brought a dish or 2 to share while the meat was donated by Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly, Big Frank’s Wiener Waggin’ and Bunzels. There were even Cherry studded Brats donated by Cherryland’s Best. We ate plenty of great food, met some wonderful people, drank some good beer and wine, and even Gigi made a few new friends.

Our contribution to the event, besides eating all the good food, was a pasta and vegetable salad made from vegetables in our CSA box. It was tri colored rotini tossed with shaved fennel, dried cherry tomatoes, scallions, green pepper, and yellow squash, all tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. I also made Bourbon Peach slushes to serve. And I think I have a new favorite summertime beverage!!!

The recipe below will make about a half gallon of slush mix or about 8-10 servings, but this recipe is easily doubled or tripled and since you are putting it in the freezer why not make a large batch to keep around for those hot summer days. The other great thing about this recipe is that you can play with the ratio of bourbon to peach schnapps. For this party I went a bit heavier than the 1:1 ratio, favoring the peach schnapps. If I was making this for me I would probably go heavier on the bourbon although my wife would probably disagree. As long as the total amount of booze doesn’t go above 2 cups then feel free to play however you wish, even going so far as to drop the peach schnapps all together if you really like bourbon.

Bourbon Peach Slush
makes 1/2 gallon of slush mix

4 tea bags, black tea
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 6oz can orange juice concentrate
1 12 oz can lemonade concentrate
1 cup bourbon, your favorite brand (don’t use the really cheap stuff, but also no need to use ultra expensive either)
1 cup peach schnapps
lemon lime soda

Place tea bags, sugar and water in a sauce pot. Heat to just below boiling, turn off heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and add the frozen concentrates to cool the tea down. Add the bourbon and peach schnapps and place in a plastic container. Freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir and allow to freeze at least 6-8 hours longer, preferably overnight or longer.

To serve, fill a cup 2/3′s of the way with the slush then fill with lemon lime soda. Give a quick stir and serve.

Barbecued Ribs

01. July 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: barbecue, Main Courses, sauce · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

It has been awhile since I last posted about ribs. I think it was back in September. Well, it’s high time I posted again about them as you can never have too many rib, rub, or barbecue sauce recipes as far as I’m concerned. Besides, it gives me a chance to play with my smoker yet again. Man, I love that thing! While have have gotten quite adept at barbecuing on my Weber kettle grill, life has become so much easier with my smoker. Now, instead of having to babysit my barbecue all day, I can load it up and let it go, checking it once an hour or so. The downside to that is I can’t use barbecuing as an excuse not to do things around the house. It won’t be long before my wife catches on, and the days of “tending the grill” all day, while sucking down copious amounts of beer will be at an end. If she hasn’t already caught on, I’m SOL now, as she reads this blog. Don’t worry though, I’ll find another excuse to waste away the day drinking beer and cocktails (if anyone has any good suggestions for such an excuse let me know).

Of course, if you have read this blog for any amount of time you are well aware of my love affair with all things pork – aka, god’s gift to all mankind. Grilled, roasted, braised, stuffed into sausage casings, cured, and/or smoked, there is nothing that can compare with a piece of well cooked pork. I feel for my friends who, because of religious or other reasons, are forbidden to consume the flesh of the pig. If they only knew what they are missing! While I think this nation as gone a little “bacon crazy” in the last few years, I am fully of the opinion that “everything is better with bacon,” a phrase I have uttered here numerous times, because if pork if delightful by itself, once you pair it with long, slow cooking in a smoke filled chamber it becomes absolutely divine!

In my personal heirarchy of pork, bacon reigns supreme, followed closely by pulled pork – slowly cooked over wood for hours on end. In close third comes ribs, the subject of today’s post. Today I’m just going to focus on a great rub and simple barbecue sauce to go with the ribs. I am going to assume you already know how to barbecue them. If you are not familiar with barbecuing then check out my earlier posts on pulled pork or barbecued ribs and it will walk you through how to barbecue on a kettle style grill. The most important thing when cooking in this style is to use an indirect method of cooking and making sure that your grill doesn’t get too hot. I like to barbecue between 225°F and 250°F. Depending on their size, baby back ribs will take you 2 1/2-3 hours to cook properly. Any shorter length of time and you will end up with dry or tough ribs. Talking about tough ribs, there is a misconception, here in the north, that ribs should be falling off the bone tender. I’ve got news for you, if they are then chances are they are dry, and that’s why so many places in the north end up drenching their ribs in sauce. Properly done ribs should still cling to the bone, yet yield easily when pulled, with just the slightly resistance before coming free.

Let your ribs rest for 2 hours to overnight after applying your rub

Depending on the thickness of your ribs, your should apply your rub anywhere from 2 hours to overnight before you commence cooking. This will help to ensure the development of the “bark,” or crust. As far a sauce goes, many regions of the US consider sauce to sacrilegious, but if you like sauce, like I do, wait until the last 20 30 minutes of cooking before brushing it on. If you brush it on too soon, chances are the sugars in the sauce will end up burning, creating an unpleasant bitter, burnt flavor to your ribs.

Rib Rub
enough for 4 racks of baby back ribs

1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Place in an air tight container and store for up to 3 weeks. To use, sprinkle liberally on both sides of the ribs and gently rub it in. Allow to rest for at least 2 hours or overnight before cooking.

Bourbon Molasses BBQ Sauce
enough for 4 racks of baby back ribs

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup bourbon or whiskey
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 oz. yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Blend then cook until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. Brush onto ribs about 20 minutes before ribs are done. Brush again with about 10 minutes. Serve any left on the side for people to add more. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Bourbon Mustard Marinated Pork Chops

02. June 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: barbecue, Main Courses · Tags: , , , , , ,

I hate coming back to work after a fun holiday weekend. Work seems like such a let down after enjoying that time with family and friends but, unfortunately, this blog isn’t making me rich so for now I need to continue with my day job. One of the things I do enjoy about my job though is the drive to work. I have a 45 minute commute to work each day. Some people think that that is too long of a drive and it must bore me to death. It’s quite the opposite in fact. I love the drive. In the morning it gives me a chance to wake up and organize my day while at night, it gives me a chance to unwind after a stressful day. There’s no one there constantly needing something from me, calling my name, or asking me questions. It’s just me, the radio and the road.

The drive, itself, is nice though in winter it can get a little scary with blowing snow and icy patches, but in general its a beautiful drive through some of Wisconsin’s richest dairy land. The landscape is ever changing and each season brings with it its own beauty, from the lush green of summer, to the vibrant colors of fall, to the stark black and white palette of winter. Even after 1 1/2 years there is something new or different to see each day.

This recipe today is a recipe I have used many times in the past in all sorts of restaurants, from fine dining to sports bars. The bourbon in this marinade pairs especially well with pork, though chicken works well also.

Bourbon Mustard Marinated Pork Chops

1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard (most any kind of mustard will work)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 oz. Worcestershire sauce
1 splash hot sauce
2 green onions, chopped
8 boneless pork chops (loin chops) 3/4-1″ thick (use thinner chops if you want to use them for sandwiches like I did)

Combine all ingredients, except pork chops, in a large, 1 gallon zip lock bag and mix until sugar is dissolved. Add pork chops, seal and allow to marinate overnight. Prepare your grill for direct grilling over medium high heat. Remove chops from marinade and lightly blot dry. Season with a little salt and pepper and grill to desired doneness. I usually like my pork just slightly pink in the center so cook to about 150°F. Make sure to flip often as the sugar in the marinade has a tendency to burn. It should take about about 8-10 minutes to cook.

Cider-Bourbon Glazed Root Vegetables

24. October 2009 · Write a comment · Categories: vegetables · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Rst.-Root-Vegetables-3245

I hate to admit it but I am not a huge fan of vegetables. Oh, sure, they’re all right, but I would much rather fill up on starch and proteins. I know, I’m such a Midwesterner! In my defense, I have been trying to consume more vegetables in the past few months, but I still have a long way to go. There are notable exceptions to this though. Fresh, in season tomatoes, fennel, and asparagus are just a few I like and I have always loved many of the vegetables from the Brassica genus. This includes things like cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbages. It also includes many of the root vegetables that I like such as rutabagas and turnips.

Root vegetables have a pleasing sharpness that I enjoy, but they also have a wonderful, underlying sweetness. This sweetness can be developed and brought to the fore by roasting the vegetables, which is the way I prefer to cook them. In this recipe I accent that sweetness even further by glazing them with cider and a little bourbon, enrich them with a little butter and add an herbal note with fresh thyme which is still looking good, in the herb garden, despite the numerous frosts we’ve had.

Cider-Bourbon Glazed Root Vegetables

2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
2 pounds Root vegetables, peeled and cut into thick, medium length sticks (I use a mix of carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and turnips)
4 each Shallots, peeled & quartered
4 sprigs Thyme
3/4 cup Cider
2 Tbsp. Bourbon
Parsley, minced
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the root vegetables with butter, to coat then place in a 9×13 baking dish. Pour cider over the vegetables and add the shallots and thyme. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, add the bourbon and roast for 25-35 minutes more, stirring every 7-8 minutes. The vegetables are done when they are tender, starting to brown and the liquid as mostly evaporated, glazing the vegetables. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed and sprinkle with the minced parsley. Serves 6 as a side dish.

French Toast with Bourbon Peach Sauce

13. September 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: breakfast · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

French-Toast-with-Bourbon-Peach Sauce

I don’t often eat breakfast. On days that I work I leave the house too early to even think about eating. It’s not that I dislike breakfast fare, it’s just that I’d much rather spend the extra few minutes in bed than take the time to eat breakfast, besides, if I eat too early I just feel sick to my stomach. That’s not the case on weekends though, when I can get up at a decent hour and slowly adjust to being awake. Then I’m ready for breakfast….well brunch, considering the time, but let’s not split hairs here!

To me, peaches and bourbon are a great combination. They just seem to go together. Besides, what better way to start the day than with a little bourbon to get you going.

French Toast with Bourbon Peach Sauce
serves 2

3 medium Peaches*, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Bourbon
2 Tbsp. Butter

4 slices Texas Toast or Brioche, cut thickly
2 each Eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups 1/2 & 1/2
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

3 Tbsp. Pecans, chopped and lightly toasted

To make the sauce, melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a saute pan, over medium high heat. Add the peaches and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sugars then carefully add the bourbon, away from the stove. Return to the stove and cook until the peaches are tender but not falling about. Remove from heat.

To make the french toast combine the eggs, 1/2 & 1/2, cinnamon and sugar. Mix well. Dunk each slice of bread in the mixture, soaking both sides. You should have just enough of the custard for the 4 slices of bread. Place the soaked slices of bread on a tray and allow to sit for 5 minutes to allow the custard to penetrate all the way through. Meanwhile heat a griddle to medium heat. Add the french toast and cook until golden brown and set all the way through. When just about finished return peaches to the heat. When they come to a simmer add the last 2 Tbsp. butter, stirring constantly to make the butter doesn’t separate out. Cut 2 pieces of french toast in half, diagonally, place on a plate, and top with 1/2 the bourbon peach sauce. Garnish with 1/2 the pecans. Do same with the second plate.

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