Native Spirit: The Real American Beauty
It's September! Meaning sweater weather, pumpkin spice lattes and crunchy leaves underfoot. It also means we have a whole 30 days to celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month!
In 1964, an Act of Congress declared Bourbon to be "America's Native Spirit" in celebration of its long history and deep-rooted legacy in the United States. Further backing that up, a bill was passed unanimously in 2007 to name September National Bourbon Heritage Month.
Even though I'm from the UK, it's important to me to recognise how Bourbon has influenced the drinks industry and the craft of making cocktails. So in way of celebration, I chose to do what I do best and make a great cocktail that shows off the nuances of such a wonderful spirit.
3 Bags Full
- Pour 2 ounces/60ml of Wild Turkey Bourbon into a shaker. I chose the Wild Turkey 81 because it has a mellow taste, making it perfectly suited to mixing in drinks.
- Next add in 1/4 ounce/7.4 ml of Maraschino liqueur and
- 3 dashes of Rhubarb bitters.
Both the Maraschino and rhubarb bitters add acidity to the drink, and the Maraschino supports the drink with more herbaceous flavours.
Fill up with ice and give it a good shake. Strain and pour it over fresh ice into a good whiskey glass. The fancier the better!
- Then top off with a rich hoppy ale such as Black Sheep where the name of the cocktail derives itself.
That's it. Nice and simple but nonetheless a beautiful way to sip away September and toast to Bourbon Heritage Month.
Cheers!