Tag Archives: bourbon

Fireside Cocktail

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Let’s just say, our rendition was essentially a spicy Manhattan. With no high-end brandy or cognac, we substituted Bourbon. And instead of an apple slice, we used an orange peel. However you make it, this cocktail is perfect for a cool evening… by the fireplace perhaps?

According to America’s Test Kitchen, a Fireside is, when you get down to basics, a warmly spiced version of a brandy old-fashioned, a gentler version of the traditional whiskey-based cocktail. Intriguingly, the brandy old-fashioned is the unofficial cocktail of the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, making those states the two top consumers of brandy in the nation.

To make this Fireside, first replace the bourbon with brandy (for a luxe version, you could even use cognac), which has a flavor profile featuring dried fruit and subtle warm spices. Next, add a conservative amount of Spiced Syrup, which is made with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. These warm baking spices further emphasize the dried fruit flavors in the bourbon.

Citrus bitters provide the right amount of zingy brightness—think of it as not unlike the lemon juice that’s added to the very best spiced apple pie fillings. The optional Pumpkin Pie Spice Rim Sugar will further bump up the warmly spiced elements, plus add a little sweetness. 

Fireside Cocktail

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • ¼ cup Pumpkin Pie Spice Rim Sugar (see below)
  • 2 oz. of top-shelf bourbon
  • 1 tsp. spiced syrup (see below)
  • ⅛ tsp. citrus bitters
  • orange peel slice

Directions

  1. Spread sugar, if using, into even layer on small saucer. Moisten about ½ inch of chilled old-fashioned glass rim by running orange wedge around outer edge; dry any excess juice with paper towel. Roll moistened rim in sugar to coat. Remove any excess sugar that falls into glass; set aside.
  2. Add brandy, spiced syrup, and bitters to mixing glass, then fill three-quarters full with ice. Stir until mixture is fully combined and well chilled, about 30 seconds. Fill prepared glass half-full with ice or add 1 large cube. Strain cocktail into glass. Garnish with apple slice and serve.

Spicy Syrup

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 5 oz. water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 8 allspice berries, lightly crushed
  • 4 whole cloves

Heat sugar, water, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, and cloves in small saucepan over medium heat, whisking often, until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes; do not boil. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Strain syrup through fine-mesh strainer into airtight container; discard solids.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Rim Sugar

  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. ground allspice

Whisk all ingredients together in bowl until combined.

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Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen

Autumn in New England

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It’s not Autumn, and I’m not in New England, but this cocktail still works on a number of levels. While this may sound like a book or movie title, it’s actually an adult libation we found in our copy of America’s Test Kitchen’s book “How to Cocktail.” They point out that apple and sage are a pairing that taste as if they were always meant to be together, and that’s why this drink works. The piney, slightly astringent notes of the sage are mellowed by the bright sweetness of apples.

A couple of sage leaves are muddled in maple syrup to infuse with herbal flavor. Apple cider’s sweet, slightly fermented flavor adds even more depth, as does the smoky, caramelized bourbon. Keeping with the apple theme, a bit of cider vinegar with its bracing acidity adds another touch of savoriness to balance things out.

Cheers!

Autumn in New England Cocktail

  • Servings: 2 drinks
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 6 sage leaves, plus small sprigs for garnish
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 4 oz. bourbon
  • 2 oz. apple cider
  • 1⁄2 oz. cider vinegar

Directions

  • Add sage leaves and syrup to base of cocktail shaker and muddle until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add bourbon, apple cider, and vinegar, then fill shaker with ice. Shake until just combined and chilled, about 5 seconds
  • Double-strain cocktail into old-fashioned glasses half-filled with ice, or containing one large cube.
  • Garnish with sage sprigs and serve.

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Miso Loved this Savory Dish!

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We saw this Smothered Chicken with Bourbon and Miso recipe in our latest Milk Street magazine and knew it had to get on our short list. It is their adaptation of a recipe from the cookbook “Smoke and Pickles” by Edward Lee.

As described by Milk Street, “It’s a fantastic Asian-inflected spin on an all-American favorite: smothered pork chops. A combination of umami-rich ingredients, woodsy bourbon and sweet-tangy orange juice produces a silky, deeply flavored mushroom sauce for smothering tender bone-in chicken legs.”

And since I am not a fan of chicken legs, we decided to buy a whole 3 1/2-pound chicken. This option gives us the extra “body parts” for making homemade stock later on. Plus, I get my preferred white meat.

Don’t worry if you have the wrong variety of miso. Dark miso, such as red (aka) or barley (mugi) miso is preferred, but white (shiro) miso is easier to find and more versatile. The sauce will be a little sweeter and milder, but still delicious.

Smothering typically refers to braising meats in gravy, a process that produces tender meat and a rich sauce to ladle over it—but it is time-intensive. Here, corners are cut to streamline the technique but keep the savory flavor. Chief among them are the bourbon whisky, dark soy sauce and shiitake mushrooms.

Bourbon is a wonderful ingredient to add when you want a smoky, aged sweetness with a bit of leathery caramel flavor.

Edward Lee

The result? A rich, velvety umami-packed chicken that offers the savory flavors of a long braise in a fraction of the time. Works for us!

If you are interested in the unusual but fantastic side dish, check out this recipe for Sautéed Celery with Leeks and Mushrooms.

Smothered Chicken with Bourbon and Miso

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. dark miso, such as red or barley miso (see note)
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (about 3 pounds total), patted dry
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 12 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • ⅓ cup bourbon

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and miso until smooth. Whisk in the orange juice and set aside.
  2. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken skin down and cook undisturbed until well browned, about 5 minutes. (You may have to do this in two batches.)
  3. Flip and cook until the second sides are well browned, another 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, then pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pot.
  4. Return the pot to medium-high. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the bourbon and cook, scraping up the browned bits, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds.
  6. Pour in the miso mixture and 2 cups water, then bring to a simmer. Return the chicken skin up to the pot and pour in the accumulated juices.
  7. Cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer, until the thickest parts of the legs reach 175°F, 20 to 25 minutes.
  8. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Bring the sauce to a boil over high and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency, 7 to 9 minutes.
  9. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then spoon over the chicken.

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