Apple Pie Old Fashioned

5 Comments November 19, 2025 terrie gura

When all the chaos of shopping, prepping and cooking for Thanksgiving is done, there’s no happier feeling for me than hearing the doorbell, as guests begin to arrive for time spent together and stories and laughter around a carefully prepared meal. At our house, that ritual includes a cocktail, and this year, mine is a tipsy, on-ice adaptation of America’s favorite pie. Care to join in?

Why have a signature cocktail for holidays?

It might seem snooty to offer a signature cocktail for a holiday gathering, but hear me out on the reason that I started doing this. When guests arrive for dinner, we are almost always heading into the final stretch of prepping, which can be hectic or even intense at our house— depending on whose year it is for the turkey (this year, it’s mine). I love to play mixologist, and our bar is well-stocked to make just about any drink you could imagine, which is kind of the problem. Rather than overwhelm our guests with dozens of choices from our bar, I have found it beneficial to offer a thoughtful signature drink— something that captures the essence of the season with broad appeal for any number of tastes— and our guests seem to agree.

What goes into an apple pie old fashioned?

An apple pie old fashioned infuses the sweet and warm flavors of cooked apples with the smoothness of bourbon, and for an extra homey touch, I’ve “fat washed” the bourbon with an embellished browned butter— a nostalgic nod to an all-butter pie crust. The cooked apple flavor in this drink comes from an apple cider syrup, which replaces the sugar cube or simple syrup that would otherwise be muddled into the cocktail.

Does all of this sound complicated or intimidating? It isn’t! But it does take some advance planning so that you have your ingredients ready to wow your guests when they arrive. Watch me break it down.

Apple pie syrup

For best results, purchase a fresh apple cider from the produce cold case, rather than a bottled version off the shelf. If you can get one from a local supplier, that’s even better! Heat the cider with a spoonful of brown sugar, the peel of a lemon and a couple of cinnamon sticks. Reducing the cider is necessary so that you get enough apple flavor without adding too much cider and over-diluting the drink. Strain out the solids, and bottle it up! This will keep in the fridge for about three weeks.

This spiced apple cider syrup can be used in other cocktails, too.

The amplified browned butter wash

For the browned butter trick, I ventured into the science of food and tried the viral recipe trick for making the most delicious browned butter ever. You might recall mention of this last autumn, when I presented the caramel apple blondies that were also made with browned butter, but with a boost. An addition of dried milk powder enhanced the toasty, nutty flavor of browned butter, and the result was just beyond. I knew when I made the blondies that I’d have to try this trick again for a fat-washed bourbon, and here we are!

As if regular browned butter isn’t delicious enough? This is way over the top!

I waffled a bit on whether to use salted or unsalted butter for the cocktail, and when I tasted the outcome of my efforts using unsalted butter, I knew instantly that it was the wrong choice. Salt does the same thing for a cocktail as it does for a dish, so I remedied this with a pinch of salt in the finished butter— no harm, no foul. Pour the bourbon into the jar with the cooled browned butter and give the jar a few gentle shakes. Let the mixture settle and separate, and then refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

To clarify, there is no honey in this. I couldn’t get the label off the jar!

The extra milk fat from the powdered milk, plus that hint of salt, produced a deeply addictive flavor, which I infused into my bourbon overnight and then strained out through a coffee filter the next day. By the way, do not discard that butter! As the browned butter flavors the bourbon, so the bourbon flavors the butter solids. Repurpose the butter in your sweet potato casserole or green beans amandine or anything else that would enjoy a little kick of bourbon.

Scoop out the cold, hardened butter and strain the bourbon through a coffee filter.
Be patient, this takes time.

It’s cocktail time!

Having the apple cider syrup and browned butter-washed bourbon ready ahead of time makes it a snap to stir up these apple pie old fashioneds when your guests arrive for cocktail hour. The drink is easy to make, combining the browned-butter washed bourbon, a splash of the spiced cider syrup and a quick dash of spiced bitters in a mixing glass with plenty of ice, then strained over a fresh ice cube and garnished with an apple slice and cinnamon stick.

I love smoked cinnamon bitters here, but ginger or cardamom work great, too.

Wanna go for bonus garnish points? Balance a strip of cinnamon-dusted baked pastry dough on the edge of the glass, too. If you’re making a pie for the holiday, simply save a few strips of dough, giving them a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar before you bake to golden crispy goodness. These are best fresh; if you don’t have time, the apple and cinnamon stick will be impressive enough!

Apple Pie Old Fashioned Cocktail

Servings: 1
Prep Time: at least one day ahead
Difficulty: Average
Print

This cocktail requires some advance planning to prepare a cider syrup and browned butter-washed bourbon, but you can believe it's worth the trouble!

Ingredients

2 oz. browned butter-washed bourbon (description below)
3/4 oz. spiced cider syrup (instructions below)
a quick shake of cocktail bitters (cinnamon, cardamom or ginger work nicely)
big square ice cube
cinnamon sticks, fresh apple slices and sugared pie crust for garnish

Directions

Combine bourbon, syrup and bitters in a cocktail mixing glass or shaker. Add one cup of ice and stir for about 20 seconds. Strain over a large ice in a double rocks glass.
Garnish with an apple slice and cinnamon stick, plus a baked strip of sugared pie crust if desired.

Make the browned butter-washed bourbon ahead of time. Use salted butter for best results, and consider using whole fat dried milk powder if you can find it. The washed bourbon will keep for several weeks in the fridge, and you can repurpose the butter solids in a dessert or sweet potato casserole.

Directions

Melt one stick (8 Tbsp.) butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble and froth, quickly whisk in a tablespoon of dry milk powder and whisk constantly until the froth dies down and the milk solids take on a caramel color. Remove from heat immediately and pour the hot butter into a large glass jar to cool.
Pour two cups bourbon into the jar of cooled browned butter, cap it and give it a few gentle shakes. Allow it to settle and separate, and then put it in the refrigerator overnight.
Spoon out the butter solids and strain the bourbon through a coffee filter-lined strainer or pour-over device. Bottle the washed bourbon and keep refrigerated until ready to use. This is enough for eight cocktails.

Make the apple cider syrup ahead of time as well. For best results, use fresh-pressed apple cider from a farm stand or the produce department rather than bottled from the juice aisle.

Directions

Pour 2 cups apple cider into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the thin peel of an organic lemon (none of the white pith, and wash it first!), and two or three pieces of cinnamon stick.
Bring the mixture to a slight boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in a tablespoon of brown sugar until dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool before straining out the lemon peel and cinnamon sticks. Transfer to a bottle and refrigerate up to three weeks. This makes enough syrup for at least eight cocktails.

Pineapple Upside-down Old Fashioned

7 Comments April 25, 2025 terrie gura

You’d think after so many years of creating in the kitchen, that it might take a really innovative technique or recipe to wow me. And that would be incorrect. Sometimes, it’s the simplest of things. Take for instance, my recent decision to “do something, anything” with the scraps of rind and core that I trimmed from a perfectly ripe, fresh golden pineapple.

It seems like such a waste to discard the pieces that aren’t edible.

Was I channeling my pal, Dorothy from New Vintage Kitchen, and following along with her “Scrap Happy Planet” series of ideas about reducing food waste? Sure, I was. And did I feel a sense of pride in knowing that my frugal grandmother would also be giddy at my effort to use up every bit of the pineapple? Of course. What I didn’t see coming was the flood of ideas I would conjure for using the glorious syrup that resulted from this experiment, and I’m eager to hear your ideas as well.

I’ll admit that I did not entirely come up with this “pineapple syrup” idea on my own; rather, it struck me when I received an email from Imbibe magazine. I’ve been subscribed to this publication (print and digital) since Covid began, and I’m always inspired by the innovative approaches of top bartenders across the country. Check out their site for even just a few clicks and you’ll see what I mean.

What dropped in my inbox was a recipe for a cocktail called “Pineapple Old Fashioned Du Jour,” and I couldn’t leave that alone because it already had half of my blog’s name on it. My husband, Les, and I both adore old fashioned cocktails and this one sounded sweet, tropical and perfect. Most of all, it gave me inspiration for the pineapple scraps that were staring at me from the fridge. A sweet syrup is created when Demerara sugar (or a mix of light and dark brown sugars, which is what I had in the pantry) is muddled with the leavings of the pineapple, drawing out all that beautiful sweetness. After several hours of macerating, you add a splash of boiling water to thin it out a bit and then strain out the solids.

Oooh, we are gettin’ “scrap happy” over here, indeed! 😂

It was so easy, and a great way to eke out every last bit of flavor from my pineapple. The only problem now is that I have almost too many ideas for this pineapple syrup, which tastes exactly like the sticky sweet part of pineapple upside-down cake. I mean, exactly.

Pretend you didn’t catch me enjoying this! 😂

For the sake of follow-through, I tried the pineapple old fashioned du jour that Imbibe had dropped in my inbox. It was tasty, but didn’t hit all the notes I expected after nibbling on that syrupy pineapple core. Call me greedy— I wanted the whole dessert at that point, so I came up with a twist that incorporated a bit of vanilla-scented Tuaca, an Italian brandy liqueur that seems to make everything taste a little bit like cake. I increased the amount of pineapple syrup for my drink and used smoked cinnamon bitters to further emphasize the dessert flavors.

In case you’re wondering, the drink does benefit from having fancy ice!

A drizzle of Luxardo cherry syrup syrup into the bottom of the glass gave it an “upside-down” vibe, and a classic pineapple and cherry garnish was just too obvious.

Cheers to having your cake and drinking it, too!

This process creates quite a large amount of syrup, and it only keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge. We love the old fashioned drinks, but we couldn’t finish this in drinks alone. So I went for broke and made a carrot cake for Easter, using up a generous glug of this intense pineapple syrup to drench the layers before slathering on the lemony cream cheese icing. Dorothy loved this idea as well, especially with crushed pineapple in the cake itself. Here’s how it turned out.

Piercing the cake with a toothpick coaxes the syrup deep into the layers. Let it absorb before icing.

The syrup would also be delicious drizzled over vanilla ice cream— or, better yet, my easy cinnamon ice cream! With a cherry on top, of course! My hairstylist had another easy idea (she and I always share foodie stories), and she asked, why couldn’t you even just drizzle that syrup on a slice of pound cake and top it with some whipped cream? Yes, Julie, why the heck not?!

What would you want to do with this delicious idea?

Pineapple Upside-down Old Fashioned

Servings: 2 drinks
Prep Time: 12 hours to make the syrup
Difficulty: Easy
Print

This deliciously dessert-y cocktail makes use of all the scraps trimmed from a fresh pineapple, and I highly recommend seeking out the Tuaca liqueur for the cake-like notes it brings to the glass. Cheers!

Ingredients

3 oz. bourbon (I used Elijah Craig small batch, which is 94 proof)
1 oz. Tuaca liqueur (Italian brandy with notes of vanilla)
2 oz. pineapple syrup (recipe below)
2 dropper tips smoked cinnamon bitters
2 bar spoons Luxardo cherry syrup for the bottom of the glass
Pineapple chunks and Luxardo cherries to garnish

Notes: Amarena cherries or another high-end cocktail cherry brand would be a fine substitute for Luxardo. The important thing is that the syrup should be thick so that it remains at the bottom of the glass rather than blending into the drink. If you only have maraschino cherries, I’d recommend omit the syrup layer or perhaps use a syrupy grenadine for the aesthetic.

My smoked cinnamon bitters are Old Forester brand, and I found them online at Bourbon Barrel Foods. They are excellent!

Directions

Drizzle Luxardo syrup into the bottom of the glass and place a large ice rock on top of it.
Combine bourbon, Tuaca, pineapple syrup and bitters in a cocktail glass. Add a generous amount of ice and stir to mix until the outside of the mixing glass is frosty.
Strain slowly over the ice so that the cherry syrup does not incorporate. Garnish and enjoy!

Note: This cocktail recipe does require a fair amount of advance prep. Make the pineapple syrup the day before, and be sure to select a pineapple that is fully ripe for best results. Clean it really well and rinse with white vinegar solution before you begin breaking it down. This process yields about two cups of syrup, and it will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Ingredients

All the rind and core pieces of a large, ripe pineapple
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I used a combination of dark and light; Demerara sugar was suggested by my inspiration recipe)
1/2 cup boiling water

Directions

Place all the pineapple parts in a sealable bowl (break or cut them into smaller chunks if needed). Sprinkle brown sugar over the scraps and use a cocktail muddler or heavy wooden spoon to smash the sugar into the pineapple. After a few minutes, the juices will begin to soften things up. Cover and let it rest for several hours to overnight. Stir a few times as needed to keep things macerating evenly.
Pour boiling water over the macerated pineapple and stir gently to loosen up and dissolve any remaining sugar. Carefully remove the solid pieces and then strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a sealable jar or bottle and keep it in the fridge.

Frozen Old Fashioned

9 Comments June 20, 2024 terrie gura

When life gets busy— and boy, has it been lately— we do a lot of repeats at our house because I don’t have as much time (or energy) to be creative. But I’m discovering that an easy way to keep things interesting is to change up just one little thing here or there, so that it seems like we’re having something new, but with minimal extra effort involved. When this clever twist on a classic cocktail jumped out at me from my Instagram feed, I was all for it! What could be better in the blazing heat of summer than a frosty cold adult beverage?

Love at first sip!

This drink is like a grown-up, boozy version of the 7-Eleven Slurpees I loved as a teenager. There was one year of high school that my stepbrother, one year my junior, lived with me, my mother and her boyfriend (his dad). Our favorite thing to do in those days was get the hell out of the house, and it was incredibly convenient that we had a 7-Eleven just down the street. Cary and I would skip down there together to play video games— I slayed at Ms. PacMan and Asteroids back in the day, thank you very much— and we almost always came home with snacks and Slurpees. My favorite was cherry (though I know it was fake).

Fast forward 40+ years. The sweet cherry flavor is still a favorite, and a real-fruit version of it shines through prominently in this cocktail. Big cheers to The G & M Kitchen for this idea that had me asking, “Why in the world didn’t I think of this one?” It’s all the flavors of a bourbon old-fashioned, zhuzhed up with frozen orange wedges, cherries, brown sugar syrup and cocktail bitters.

Same flavors you’d expect in an old fashioned, but extra fruit!

All that, plus a cup of ice whizzed together in the blender until the mixture is frothy, frosty and way beyond refreshing. With the added fruit and all that ice mixed in, there’s also a hydrating element to this cocktail which isn’t a bad thing when the heat gets intense. Plus, it’s easy to whip up several drinks at once for summer entertaining. Yep, this little number will be in hot rotation at our house!

Brown sugar syrup lends a richness to this drink.

This whole situation has me thinking about throwing other favorite cocktails in the blender. After all, frozen margaritas, daiquiris and piña coladas have been a thing for decades. Now, I’ve got my eye on Manhattans, Negronis and Moscow Mules, to name a few, and summer is just getting started.

What favorite cocktail would you like to see frozen? Let me know in the comments, and until next time, “cheers!”

Frozen Old Fashioned

Servings: 2 cocktails
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Print

The slushy texture of this classic cocktail makes it the ultimate refresher for the summer ahead!

Ingredients

4 oz. favorite bourbon
Frozen segments from 1/2 seedless orange (membranes are OK, but no peels)
5 or 6 frozen cherries or cocktail cherries, plus juice if you wish (NO PITS!)
1 oz. brown sugar simple syrup (see note below)
4 quick shakes cocktail bitters (Angostura, orange or ginger work nicely)
2 cups ice (preferably crushed or pellet)
Orange slices and/or cocktail cherries to garnish

Note: For the brown sugar syrup, combine equal parts (by weight) brown sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then cool and transfer to a jar or bottle. Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks. Wanna save time? Swap in maple syrup for the brown sugar syrup. You won’t regret it!

Directions

Combine bourbon, oranges, cherries, syrup and bitters in the container of a blender. Add ice and pulse a few times to break down the frozen fruit and ice. If your blender has a crushed ice setting, that would be perfect here.
Blend continuously once the ice is broken down, until the drink is nice and slushy to your liking.
Pour into chilled rocks glasses and garnish each drink with an orange slice and a fancy cherry.
Repeat as desired to beat the summer heat!

Mint Julep Cupcakes

10 Comments April 29, 2024 terrie gura

I have come to an important conclusion— that the only difference between me being a good baker or a bad one is my own level of commitment. How can anyone improve their skills without practice? Trial and error are an important part of the process, and I’ve seen plenty of that. Every once in a while, though, I land in the success column with both feet. Those are the good baking days!

These cupcakes are a beautiful addition to the Kentucky Derby table.

These cupcakes, which draw their inspiration from the Mint Julep, official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby, turned out so ridiculously good last year that my friend, Linda, practically demanded that I make them again this year. What makes these cupcakes so delicious— besides the obvious fact that, duh, they’re cupcakes— is that real Kentucky bourbon is added to both the cupcake batter and the icing. They are boozy, but not overly so. The sweet buttercream with accents of mint offsets any harshness that one might expect from the bourbon.

Kentucky Derby is an occasion that we enjoy for the theme as much (or more) than the horse race itself. It’s a rare event that gives me an excuse to wear a fancy hat, and I will try again this year to get my husband to put on a bow tie (we’ll see). My table will be filled with plenty of fancy finger foods, because it’s helpful to have one hand free to hold a mint julep or one of my other fun cocktails. When it comes to the mint julep cupcake— well, it’s another opportunity for me to have my cake— and drink it, too!

Did I sample two of the cupcakes before the party started? Maybe. 😉

Let’s Get Cooking!

If there’s one bit of advice I would offer for successful baking— to myself as well as anyone else— it would be to plan ahead, measure everything out and line things up before starting a recipe. Having my ingredients at the proper temperature is important as well, both for easy mixing and having a reliable baking time. For these cupcakes, the butter and eggs should be near room temperature, and the flour should be measured following the fluff, sprinkle, level method. Measure out the bourbon, too, so that you aren’t trying to guess the amount straight from the bottle. I used my cocktail measuring cup, which worked perfectly.

The cupcakes are definitely more substantial than a box mix cupcake, which makes a great base for piling on the sweet, minty buttercream. The batter includes both cane and brown sugar, which emphasizes those warm, caramel-like notes in the bourbon. I followed a typical method of creaming together the butter and sugar, then adding eggs and bourbon (in place of vanilla), and finally alternating additions of the flour mixture and milk. They baked up beautifully, and I cooled them completely before icing them.

This was my first time making buttercream, and I’m not sure if it was beginners luck or what, but it turned out so much better than I expected. I used salted butter rather than unsalted, because a touch of salt emphasizes whatever other flavors are around it, including sweet ones. I mixed in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and drizzled in the bourbon and mint extract somewhere in between the sugar additions. A little bit of heavy cream helped me achieve the right consistency, so that the icing would still have enough structure to hold its shape when piped onto the cupcakes.

We had a little bit of extra icing when all was said and done, and that wasn’t a bad thing!

Silver foil liners, a pinch of green sanding sugar and fresh mint sprigs put the perfect finishing touches on these delightful Kentucky Derby treats.

Mint Julep Cupcakes

Servings: 1 dozen cupcakes
Prep Time: 35 minutes total
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Difficulty: Average
Print

These pretty cupcakes have bourbon in both the batter and the minty buttercream icing, making them a perfect finish to any Kentucky Derby party.

For the cupcakes, begin by measuring the flour by the fluff, sprinkle, level method. If you dunk a scoop directly into the flour, your batter will be too dense. Butter, eggs and milk should be near room temperature for best results.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 pinches kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup bottled-in-bond bourbon
1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F, with oven rack in center position. Line a standard cupcake tin with paper liners inside foil liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
Using a stand mixer (with beater blade attachment) or electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until fully blended and somewhat fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stream in bourbon and beat until fully blended.
Add flour mixture, a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Beat after each addition, but only until blended.
Divide batter among prepared cups; each cup will be approximately 3/4 full. Bake for about 18 minutes, until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool in the cupcake pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream icing, you’ll want the butter softened to near room temperature. Make this while the cupcakes are baking, then refrigerate the icing in a piping bag until the cupcakes are completely cooled.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
4 to 4-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
2 tbsp. Bottled-in-bond bourbon
1 tsp. pure mint extract
Up to 1/4 cup heavy cream, as needed to loosen the frosting

Directions

Using a stand mixer (fitted with whisk) or an electric hand mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Drizzle in bourbon before the final addition of sugar.
Beat in mint extract and enough heavy cream to loosen the icing to desired consistency. Transfer icing to a piping bag and refrigerate until shortly before you will be ready to serve the cupcakes. Pipe onto cupcakes with a flower tip. Sprinkle each with a pinch of green sanding sugar (if desired) and garnish each cupcake with a sprig of fresh mint.

Sweet Potato Casserole Old Fashioned

16 Comments November 14, 2023 terrie gura

I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking. She did what?! 😂

The matter of a signature cocktail for Thanksgiving is always a priority for me. I want guests at our table to immediately feel welcome and for the signature drink to set the mood for the occasion. And though I don’t especially like the old-school sweet potato casserole— you know the one, topped with sticky browned marshmallows— when the idea rose of putting those nostalgic flavors into a cocktail? Well, that’s quite a different story!

This discussion of a sweet potato casserole cocktail came about several months ago, as my blog buddy, Maylee over at Beyond Gumbo, and I were e-chatting about a New Orleans-based company that makes cocktail ingredients. El Guapo is the brand, and I had recently purchased a bottle of its chicory pecan bitters. I’m always on lookout for unusual cocktail ingredients, and this one struck my fancy for making holiday themed drinks.

Chicory has a slight bitter flavor that is reminiscent of roast coffee.

As so often happens, though, the bitters sat on my bar for a while as I pondered how to build a drink that would benefit from the interesting combination of flavors. I’ve used it to make a pecan pie old-fashioned, and then it got left behind until recently, when Maylee posted a wonderful recipe for a homemade pumpkin spice latte that sounds way better than anything I could buy at Starbucks. For her latte, she made a pumpkin spice syrup and she reminded me in the comments section about the sweet potato cocktail we’d discussed months earlier. Thank goodness she remembered!

And here we are! My friend’s pumpkin spice syrup inspired me to try my own version of sweet potato syrup, which was not only simple to make, but literally makes this bourbon drink taste like a tipsy liquid version of a retro sweet potato casserole. This is one of the things I love most about food blogging, the way my online friends and I are always inspiring one another to try and succeed at new things, and we keep going until we all run out of ideas.

I hope that’s a very long time. Cheers! 😁

What you’ll need

If you want to try this yourself, take a moment right now to purchase the chicory pecan bitters, as they are essential to the drink. You can buy them directly from El Guapo’s site or take advantage of speedy shipping from Amazon. Don’t worry about how to use the rest of the bottle, as I’ll be experimenting and sharing other recipes as I develop or discover them.

The other ingredients you’ll need are bourbon (a sweet one, such as Maker’s Mark or Elijah Craig), a good-sized sweet potato, a bit of turbinado or brown sugar and a cinnamon stick, plus the mini marshmallows to garnish the drink, vintage style.

Once the syrup is ready, the rest of the drink is easy peasy!

Make-ahead sweet potato syrup

The sweet potato syrup is easy to make ahead, and I’d recommend doing it this weekend so you’ll be ready when guests arrive next Thursday. Simmer the sweet potato chunks until tender, then gently mash and strain the liquid into a measuring glass. Add enough water to total 1 1/4 cups. Pour the strained liquid back into the pan with the sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a slight boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, and then strain again— this time through a very fine mesh strainer to filter the solids as much as possible. Transfer it to a bottle and chill until you’re ready for cocktails.

When my syrup was finished, it measured 3/4 cup, exactly enough for 8 cocktails. If you’ll be making more drinks, my click-to-print recipe below is easy enough to double.

Time for a cocktail!

When the bell rings for happy hour, get your cocktail tools and ingredients ready to go. You’ll need a shaker (this is best when mixing ingredients of different viscosity), a measuring tool for the ingredients, ice for shaking, heatproof cocktail picks and a culinary torch or lighter to toast the marshmallows.

The toasted marshmallows are a whimsical nod to the sweet potato casserole of my childhood!

I recommend threading the marshmallows onto the cocktail pick first so you can get straight to enjoying this delicious drink as soon as it’s poured. To reduce the stickiness, I smeared the cocktail picks with a bit of butter before adding the marshmallows. I like a little orange peel expressed over my drink, so this is good time to strip that off a washed orange, too.

Here comes the mixing! Combine the bourbon, syrup and chicory pecan bitters in a shaker with about a cup of ice. Shake for 20 seconds, or until the outside of the shaker is cold and frosty. Strain over new ice. Express the orange peel (if using) over the drink and toast the marshmallows to garnish the glass.

Sweet Potato Casserole Old Fashioned

Servings: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 2 hours to prepare syrup
Cook Time: 90 minutes, mostly hands-off
Difficulty: Average
Print

Yes, this fun recipe is exactly what you imagine; the flavors of a classic Thanksgiving side, transformed into a delicious holiday cocktail.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces bourbon (a sweet one, such as Maker’s Mark or Elijah Craig)
3/4 ounce sweet potato syrup (recipe and directions below)
3 shakes El Guapo chicory pecan bitters
miniature marshmallows, threaded onto a heatproof cocktail pick
3-inch strip of orange peel, optional for expressing over cocktail

Directions

Combine bourbon, sweet potato syrup and chicory pecan bitters in a cocktail shaker with a cup of ice. Shake for 20 seconds, or until shaker is frosty.
Strain over a large ice cube in a double rocks glass. Espresso orange peel over drink, if desired. Toast marshmallows and garnish the cocktail.
Cheers!

The only fussy element of this drink is the sweet potato syrup. Plan to make this ahead, and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. The recipe below makes enough syrup for 8 cocktails.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup turbinado or brown sugar
4-inch piece of cinnamon stick

Directions

Cover sweet potato chunks with cold water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are fork-tender, about 35 minutes. Gently mash the potatoes, still in the water, with the back of the fork. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a glass measuring cup. Add enough water if needed to total 1 1/4 cups. Rinse any solids out of the pan.
Pour sweet potato liquid back into the saucepan. Add sugar and cinnamon stick and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture takes on a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Strain again, this time through a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter. Finished syrup should measure approximately 3/4 cup. Transfer syrup to a jar or sealable bottle and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Elevate it even further!

Want to take this drink a flavor step further in the direction of a sweet potato casserole? Try this trick of “fat-washing” your bourbon with browned, unsalted butter. It’s easy to do, and as a bonus, you’ll have a small bowlful of bourbon-infused butter left over to flavor something else on the table. The actual sweet potato casserole, perhaps? 😉

Bramble On

8 Comments September 18, 2023 terrie gura

Autumn begins this Saturday. Finally. What a summer it has been, with record-shattering heat waves and treacherous weather conditions reported from every corner of the globe. I think we all need the break, and as much as I am usually ready for fall, this year I feel almost desperate for it.

Leaves are falling all around
time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I’m much obliged
such a pleasant stay
But now it’s time for me to go
the autumn moon lights my way
For now I smell the rain
and with it pain
and it’s headed my way
“Ramble On” ~ Robert Plant & Jimmy Page

With the autumn moon just ahead, and fresh, late-summer blackberries singing their swan song, I figured it was finally time I shared my home bar version of this refreshing, not-too-sweet bourbon cocktail that I enjoyed earlier this summer during my visit to Vermont.

I had the pleasure of dining with my blog pal, Dorothy, and her husband at a quaint, farm-to-table restaurant called Starry Night Cafe on the last night of my visit there, and it wasn’t only the food that was amazing. The drink menu also was very impressive, and one cocktail in particular caught my attention— they called it Bramble On. It was fresh, local blackberries with bourbon, lime, ginger liqueur and a berry-mint garnish. It was fabulously refreshing and I knew at first sip that I would want it again in the fall.

It doesn’t hurt at all that the drink’s name was a play on the title of an amazing Led Zeppelin tune, “Ramble On.” I’ve been a Led Zeppelin fan for as long as I can remember, and this song, which was released from the group’s second album when I was but 4 years old, is one of my all-time favorites. Not only does it reference a place and character from one of my favorite stories, The Lord of the Rings (listen for it about two-thirds through), but it features exquisitely emotional guitar solos by Jimmy Page and, of course, there’s Robert Plant’s distinctive voice. I just love everything about it it.

“Ramble On” tells a bittersweet tale through the eyes of a restless lover who has enjoyed the company of a woman for a season, but must keep moving to find the queen of all his dreams. It’s how I feel about summer— I enjoyed it for what it was— the thrills and trials and adventures— but I’m really, really ready for autumn. I need autumn and I need it now.

This cocktail feels like a perfect transition from summer into fall. A traditional “bramble” would involve muddling blackberries with gin, but this version with bourbon tickles my fancy more. It’s sweeter, cozier and lingers on the palate longer than the gin version.

I’ve taken a few liberties with the ingredients in my version of this cocktail, compared to the one I enjoyed in Vermont. But the end result is similar, with blackberries front and center. Given that fresh local blackberries have already bid adieu in many growing zones, I’ve swapped in blackberry preserves, which also provide the sweetness that the ginger liqueur brought to the Starry Night drink. Ginger bitters provide the right spicy zing to complement the berry sweetness, and a quick squeeze of lemon balances out the drink and keeps it fresh.

Shake with ice and then strain into a glass with new ice. If you prefer, double strain through a conical mesh strainer.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with my new ice design mold. It takes only seconds to imprint a design on my clear ice cubes!

I skipped the mint garnish in favor of skewered fresh blackberries. But I have also served it with just an expressed lemon peel garnish when I ran out of berries. Either way, it’s delish!

This drink is a delightfully pleasant way to bridge the seasons.

Bramble On

Servings: 2 cocktails
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Print

This cocktail feels like a perfect transition from summer into fall. A little bit sweet, with warm spices and a touch of lemon freshness. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 oz. favorite bourbon (we used a locally distilled, bottled-in-bond, but Elijah Craig small batch or Bulleit would be great)
1 Tbsp. good quality blackberry preserves (we like Bonne Maman, but homemade would be perfect here)
juice of 1/2 small lemon
4 quick shakes ginger bitters (we like Hella brand)
fresh blackberries or lemon peel to garnish

If you prefer to muddle fresh blackberries into the drink rather than using preserves, consider adding a tablespoon of simple syrup to amp up the sweetness a bit. If you don’t like the seeds in the preserves, double strain through a mesh strainer into the glass.

Directions

Add bourbon, preserves, lemon juice and bitters to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice.
Shake 20 seconds to combine and dilute, then strain into two double rocks glasses with new ice.
Garnish with skewered fresh berries or lemon twist.

Seelbach Cocktail

3 Comments May 5, 2023 terrie gura

When I mention Kentucky Derby and cocktails in the same sentence, there’s a very good chance that a mint julep pops into your mind— and for good reason. The refreshing bourbon and mint drink piled high with crushed ice is ubiquitous at Derby festivities everywhere, including Churchill Downs. But not everyone loves mint, and some of us like to change things up just for the sake of change.

I consider myself an explorer in the world of cocktails, and when I ran across this one in a little gift book, Tiny Bubbles, I bookmarked it for this year’s Derby. Author Kate Simon describes this drink as the one “for your bourbon-obsessed friend who thinks he doesn’t like bubbly cocktails,” and goes on to describe the drink as being like a “fizzy Old Fashioned.”

I can’t attest to the drink’s ability to win over a non-fizz drinker— my husband certainly would not be swayed, and most people don’t announce their dislike for something with a secret hope of being convinced otherwise— but I do think this cocktail has an elegance and flair about it that is quite nice, especially because it is made with easy-to-find ingredients. If you’re looking for a change, maybe this is the one.

This lovely libation is known as a Seelbach Cocktail, so named for the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville where it is said to have originated in the years before Prohibition. As with so many cocktail backstories, there have been a few objections to the declared history of the Seelbach, and even the bartender who supposedly revived it in the 1990s “from an old hotel menu” fessed up to having conjured the story for his own glory.

But I say, who cares? The drink is fun without being too fussy, and a little change of pace is a good thing once in a while, even for an event as steeped in tradition as the Kentucky Derby. I don’t mind that the backstory is pure fiction, as long as it tastes good.

Bourbon (I used Elijah Craig Small Batch) is paired with Cointreau, an orange liqueur that mimics the expressed orange in a typical Old Fashioned. The cocktail is heavy on the bitters (two kinds, traditionally), which is a nice balance to the sweetness of the Cointreau, and a brut Champagne makes an entrance to provide the fizzy part. A cherry sits on the bottom of the glass as a sweet, last-sip reward, and an orange twist garnish gives it a fancy photo finish. I made my “twist” extra frilly, and as it sits perched on the rim of the chilled flute, it reminds me of the flashy fascinator hats that will be worn by the ladies at the Kentucky Derby.

Whenever I’m making cocktails, I like to get my ducks in a row— or horses, as the case may be for this weekend’s event. There’s no joy in realizing after you’ve started mixing that you forgot to wash the orange, for example, that will be used for garnish. And hopefully you’re doing that. Don’t ever cut up your fruit straight from the grocery store, as any variety of junk and pesticides will have taken up residence in the peel. Line up your tools and ingredients, and ice down the champagne flute so your drink stays chilly after it’s poured.

As many of my blog followers know, I have trouble sticking to the rules and rarely make a recipe exactly as written, so I’ll explain my “swaps” from the original Seelbach recipe, beginning with the mixing vessel. The Tiny Bubbles recipe suggests using a shaker, but I tried it and had trouble straining it from the shaker top neatly into the small opening of my flute glass. The rule of thumb in mixology is to use a shaker if you are combining ingredients with widely different viscosity— the thickness or simple syrup and watery nature of citrus juices will blend with alcohol better in a shaker. But this drink is all alcohol, so a mixing glass is my choice for easier dispensing. Use what works for you.

As for the bitters, the original recipe calls for both Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, the latter of which has a lovely pink color but a strong anise flavor. I tried it that way, but didn’t love it. The combination doesn’t fit my perception of Kentucky Derby elegance, and I’ve been looking for a way to use these Hummingbird bitters, which combine rose and citrus essences. The Derby is literally the “Run for the Roses,” and I liked that tie-in for this frilly-meets-fizzy drink. It worked beautifully! If the Hummingbird bitters are not an option for you (I found them online but it’s a bit late to order them for the Derby), I personally think orange bitters would be a better fit than the Angostura-Peychaud’s combination. Experiment to find what tickles your fancy.

To get started on my cocktail, I made my orange peel garnish first by stripping off only the bright orange part of the fruit, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Use a sharp paring knife to trim it into clean lines, and make cuts as follows— a long, thin cut in the center of one end (this is where you’ll attach it to the rim of your glass), and several lengthy cuts on the other end, almost like fringe or a feather.

Wrap the orange peel snugly around a chopstick or wooden spoon handle and hold it for several seconds to coax it into shape. When it seems to be holding its own, begin making your cocktail.

Combine the bourbon, cointreau and bitters in an ice-filled cocktail mixing glass, and stir the drink for about 20 seconds to chill it down. If you’re using a shaker, have at it for about the same amount of time, until the shaker becomes uncomfortably cold.

Add a Luxardo cherry to the bottom of the flute, and don’t worry at all if a bit of the luscious syrup goes with it. Pour in about half of the specified champagne (this helps ensure the drink is well-mixed), then strain the cocktail over the glass and top it off with the rest of the bubbly. Perch your frou-frou orange garnish on the edge of a glass like a fascinator, and enjoy in moderation. Fair warning: the effervescence in this drink will go straight to your head, so it might be a good starter before you switch to something more mainstream. A mint julep, perhaps? 🙂

Seelbach Cocktail

Servings: 1 drink
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: What? It's a cocktail!
Difficulty: Average
Print

With the flavors of an Old Fashioned, and the fizziness of Champagne, this Louisville-based cocktail will be a lovely option for a Kentucky Derby watch party.

Ingredients

1 oz. bourbon (I used Elijah Craig Small Batch; it’s smooth and 94 proof)
1/2 oz. Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
About 7 drops Hummingbird bitters (available online, or substitute orange and/or Angostura)
3 oz. brut Champagne or other sparkling wine, chilled
Ice for shaking/stirring and chilling glass
Good quality cocktail cherry, such as Luxardo
Strip of orange peel for garnish

Directions

Fill champagne flute (or white wine glass) with ice to chill it.
Fill a shaker or mixing glass halfway with ice. Add bourbon, Cointreau and bitters and stir or shake for about 20 seconds.
Empty ice from flute and place cocktail cherry in the bottom.
Pour about 2 oz. of the Champagne into the glass. Strain the cocktail into the glass and top it off with remaining Champagne.
Garnish with orange twist.

Bacon & Bourbon Waffles

8 Comments February 17, 2023 terrie gura

The countdown to Easter will begin next week, and for many people who follow religious tradition, that means giving things up for Lent. I don’t participate in the observance of Lent myself, but I always know that it’s coming because all the fast-food chains start advertising their fish sandwich options again. When Ash Wednesday arrives, those who do observe will “fast” until Easter from any number of things— whether food, habit or activity— to mirror the fasting and spiritual introspection that the Bible says Jesus modeled during the 40 days he wandered in the wilderness before his trial and crucifixion.

But before that period of fasting and self-restraint, we eat and we party!

According to this article on Food52, the old-time religious faithful observing Lent would spend the day ahead (which they called Shrove Tuesday) ridding their homes of luxury ingredients such as eggs, sugar, butter and milk, so they wouldn’t give in to temptation during those 40 days of self-deprivation. It just so happens that pancakes are an easy way to use up all of those tempting ingredients, and the tradition of eating pancakes the night before Lent was born.

This tradition of indulging the day before Ash Wednesday is also evident with the festivities of Mardi Gras, which translates literally from French to “Fat Tuesday.” Is there a better way to observe a day called Fat Tuesday than chowing down on thick, fluffy pancakes, drenched in butter and sweet syrup? Possibly. If you want to shake things up this year, either for Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, ditch the plain old pancakes and whip up a batch of bacon and bourbon waffles instead.

My waffles have crispy bacon and smoky, maple-infused bourbon— on the inside and the outside. This meal feels perfectly appropriate for Mardi Gras, in the spirit of indulgence and with a whisper of New Orleans— bourbon whiskey, after all, was likely named after the same French ruling family that gave Bourbon Street its name. I put a tablespoon of my smoked maple bourbon right into the batter of my waffles, and kissed the syrup with a splash of it as well. If you can’t get your hands on this bourbon, any quality bourbon will work fine. But for the syrup, you owe it to yourself to use real maple. For waffles this indulgent, supermarket syrup just won’t do.

The smoked maple bourbon is exquisite, and does fine things for cocktails, too!

The waffles make use of my sourdough discard, and the batter includes a bit of cornmeal, for texture but also as a friendly nod to the corn in the mash bill of the bourbon. Start building the batter overnight if you’ll be enjoying the waffles for breakfast (hey, if you’re down with a splash of bourbon at breakfast, you are definitely my kinda people), or in the morning if you want them for Fat Tuesday dinner. Stir together the flour, cornmeal, buttermilk and sourdough starter, then cover it and leave it on the counter til you’re ready to waffle.

If you don’t have sourdough starter, try adding the bacon and bourbon to your favorite waffle recipe.
It’s about the flavors, not the ingredients!

When it’s time to eat, cook up some bacon pieces until they’re crispy, and add the drippings to the melted butter that will be mixed into the batter. We use uncured bacon at our house, and I love the natural flavor. The smoky bacon emphasizes the smoked maple flavors in the bourbon as well, and it’s a nice offset to all the sweetness that hits you in the syrup.

The bacon drippings lend another layer of savory smokiness to the waffles.

Get the waffle iron going, and then mix the rest of the ingredients into the batter. Whisk the butter into the beaten egg, then half of the bourbon. Sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the bubbly overnight batter, then stir in the egg mixture and fold in about half of the crispy bacon bits. Within a couple of minutes, the batter will expand as the soda interacts with the acidic buttermilk. This chemical reaction is what gives the waffles their loft and fluff.

Finish building the batter, and then you’re ready to waffle!

When the waffle iron is hot, add the batter and close the lid. Depending on your model and baking temperature, it may take 5 to 8 minutes for your waffles to be ready. Resist the urge to open the iron before the indicator light comes on, and feel free to give them an extra minute if you prefer your waffles more golden.

Sourdough waffles work great in either a Belgian waffle maker, or a standard one, as I’ve used here.

If you’re making a large batch of waffles, you can keep the first ones warm by placing them on a rack over a baking sheet, inside a 250 F oven. While mine were baking, I warmed up real maple syrup with the remaining tablespoon of bourbon and a pat of butter. Plate the waffles with a quick scatter of the remaining crispy bacon and the syrup.

Melting the butter into the syrup eliminates a step at serving time.

Bacon & Bourbon Waffles

Servings: About 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus overnight rest for batter
Cook Time: About 10 minutes per batch
Difficulty: Average
Print

Ditch the boring pancakes and shake up Shrove Tuesday with these sourdough waffles, accented with bacon and bourbon from the inside out!

Ingredients

2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (85g)
1/4 cup medium grind cornmeal (40g)
1 cup cultured buttermilk (227g)
1/3 cup sourdough starter (75g; discard is fine)
2 tsp. maple (or granulated) sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbsp. salted butter, melted and cooled (or swap in some of the bacon drippings for extra bacon flavor)
5 slices uncured smoked bacon, cut into pieces and cooked until crispy (use half in the batter and reserve the rest for topping the waffles)
2/3 cup real maple syrup
2 Tbsp. Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon, divided (use half in the batter and half in the syrup for serving)

I made these waffles using a standard, non-stick waffle maker and they were delicious. I expect that a Belgian waffle maker would produce a lighter, crispier waffle. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions regarding oiling the plates, temperature and baking time.

Directions

The night before, combine flour, cornmeal, sourdough starter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir it well to ensure no pockets of dry ingredients. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight (about 8 hours).
When you’re ready to make the waffles, prep the bacon and set up the waffle iron to preheat. Set oven to 250 F and place a rack inside a baking sheet for keeping waffles warm. Take the egg out of the fridge to bring to room temperature.
Whisk the melted butter into the egg. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the bourbon.
Sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the overnight starter, which should be nice and bubbly. Pour the egg mixture into the batter and stir vigorously but briefly to get the chemical reaction started. Fold in half of the crispy bacon pieces. Let the batter rest until the waffle maker is fully preheated.
Pour batter into waffle iron and close the lid. Avoid the temptation to lift the lid until your waffle iron indicator says it’s time. Keep waffles warm in oven while you prepare the next batch.
Combine maple syrup and remaining bourbon in a small saucepan and heat until warm. If desired, melt a teaspoon or two of salted butter into the syrup.
Scatter remaining crispy bacon over finished waffles and drizzle maple bourbon syrup over for serving.

Pompatus of Love

11 Comments September 2, 2022 terrie gura

We have enjoyed this peachy bourbon cocktail at our house all summer, ever since I first made the peach shrub. What’s that—you say peaches don’t grow on shrubs? True. The peach “shrub” that I speak of is an old-school concoction, otherwise known as a “drinking vinegar,” and though it was a popular way of preserving seasonal fruits back in Colonial times (or as far back as the Roman Empire, depending on whom you ask), the shrub is having a new moment, especially in the world of craft cocktails.

A shrub is a mixture of fruit, sugar and vinegar, usually in equal parts. You can either cook the fruit together with the sugar before adding the vinegar, which results in a jammy, compote-type flavor, or go the fresh route with raw fruit, which takes longer to develop but presents a more vibrant flavor in the shrub. I chose the latter, with enough cut-up peaches to measure a heaping cup. I stirred in a cup of raw turbinado sugar and left it in the fridge about 24 hours.

The second day, I strained the syrupy, macerated fruit (we put the chunky remains on top of vanilla ice cream) and mixed the liquid with a cup of vinegar—half apple cider (raw, with the “mother”) and half white wine.

My peach shrub was strong, tart and a little too “in your face” for the first couple of days, but after a week in the fridge, it had mellowed to become quite enjoyable in this cocktail, and even more so as the weeks have passed. The other ingredients in this drink are bottled-in-bond bourbon (this one has a very low percentage of rye in the mash bill, so definitely choose one on the sweet side), a fresh chunk of muddled peach and a couple of shakes of bitters. I like the ginger bitters, but if you can find peach bitters, they’re nice, too.

This is a bottled-in-bond bourbon from one of our local distilleries.
It’s mostly corn, and only a slight amount of rye, so it’s nice and sweet.

There’s one more thing that makes this cocktail special, and you’d probably never guess—it’s salt. You heard me. I’ve been experimenting with the concept to further balance a cocktail, and it is a pretty amazing thing. We bought this Himalayan pink salt swizzle stick back in February when we visited Asheville Salt cave, and as it turns out, a slight touch of this special salt brings this drink together, the same way a pinch of salt makes a dessert taste better. The things we learn!

By pouring the strained drink over the edge of the salt bar, you only get a hint of the salt. So good!

We have tried several iterations of this libation over the summer, including an infusion of thyme in the peach shrub, minted sugar on the rim of the glass, on the rocks, and up in a Nick and Nora glass, etc. My favorite is simple and straightforward—bourbon and muddled peach, shrub, ginger bitters, no sugar rim, poured over the salt swizzle stick on a giant ice cube, and keep ‘em coming.

I decided to call this cocktail “Pompatus of Love.”

Muddle a chunk of fresh peach, cover with huge ice cube

Now, I won’t make you wrack your brain to figure out why the name sounds familiar to you—it comes from the 1970s classic rock song, “The Joker,” by the Steve Miller Band. You know, right after he sings, “some people call me Maurice.” What you might not know is that the word pompatus is not really a word at all, but something that Miller misheard from a doo-wop song released two decades earlier. I’ll let you explore that on your own time with the help of Google and Wikipedia, because it is a story in itself.

And since you’ve already heard the Steve Miller version of the song at least as many times as I have, I’d like to introduce you to one of our favorite local artists who performs a terrific rendition of this song. Please click to play, while I tell you a little bit more about this peachy bourbon drink, and about our friendship with Colin Allured, the artist featured here.

If you love this, subscribe to Colin’s YouTube channel. He has plenty more where this came from.

I first met Colin almost 8 years ago, when he debuted his one-man act at a wine bar that I frequented. He mesmerized the entire room on that December night, even drawing the kitchen staff out to the front of house to see who was this guy, covering the vocals of everyone from Steve Miller to The Beatles to Justin Timberlake to Katy Perry—as well as plenty of his own (awesome) original music. From that night, I hardly missed an appearance by Colin at the wine bar or anywhere else, and Les quickly caught on as well when we began dating. Fast forward a few years, when Les conspired with Colin to play a very special song for us on an evening we had planned to celebrate my birthday—I say they “conspired” because the night took on a whole new meaning after Colin dedicated the song to us. That’s when Les popped the question and put a ring on my finger. Since then, we have followed our friend around to many venues, including the show where he recorded that version of “The Joker,” and I have no doubt that he will always be a part of our love story, in some way or another.

So what does all of this romance nonsense have to do with this bourbon cocktail, based on a peach shrub?

I named this drink Pompatus of Love because, to me, it embodies a little bit of everything that makes a romantic love relationship great. It’s intoxicating, just sweet enough, a bit tart and sassy, and slightly salty in a way that is unexpectedly addictive. As one of our July 4^th weekend guests put it, “the first sip surprised me, but it’s growing on me.”

Yep. That’s the pompatus of love.

Really love your peaches, wanna shake your shrub.

Pompatus of Love

Servings: 2 cocktails
Prep Time: 5 minutes for cocktail, plus shrub preparation
Cook Time: none!
Difficulty: easy
Print

This perfect marriage of bourbon and peaches is made even better with a splash of peach shrub, an old school “drinking vinegar” that’s made with fresh peaches, sugar and vinegar. Plan to make the shrub about a week ahead for best results. I like these best on a large ice cube in a double rocks glass, but it can also be shaken and strained into a chilled coupe glass if you’re feeling fancy.

Ingredients

1 small, fresh peach (for muddling)
4 oz. bourbon (use a high-proof, low rye version if possible)
1 oz. peach shrub* (see below)
2 quick shakes ginger (or peach) bitters
large ice cubes for serving

Directions

Place a chunk of peach (about the size of a walnut) into each rocks glass. Crush it with a cocktail muddler or the handle end of a wooden spoon. Place a large ice cube over the peach.
In a cocktail mixing glass or shaker, combine bourbon, shrub and bitters. Add one cup of ice and stir or shake until the mixing vessel is frosty.
Strain into glasses, garnish with slices of the peach.

For the Shrub: choose very ripe peaches, and don’t worry if they have bruises or dark spots. This is a great way to use peaches that are a little “past their prime.” The shrub will be quite intense for the first few days after making, but it mellows after about a week and is lovely in cocktails, or put an ounce in a glass with ice and top it with sparking water for a zero-proof summer treat!

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe peaches, washed
1 cup raw cane turbinado sugar (white or light brown sugar works, too)
1/2 cup raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg’s)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Directions

Peel and pit the peaches, and cut them up into chunks.
In a medium bowl (choose one that has a fitted lid), combine the peaches and sugar, stirring until it begins to get syrupy. Cover and macerate in the fridge 24 hours.
Strain peaches through a mesh sieve, catching the liquid in a bowl below. Discard the peach solids, or use them right away in some other dish.
Stir the vinegars into the sweet peach syrup. Transfer to a sealable glass bottle and refrigerate up to 3 months.

Black Forest Cake

11 Comments January 27, 2022 terrie gura

Before we get into it, I’d like to issue my own disclaimer about the inauthenticity of this recipe as a “Black Forest” cake. Any purist would quickly point out that a true, German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte would be more of a spongy chocolate cake, soaked with kirsch (a clear cherry liqueur) and decorated with whipped cream, sour cherries and shavings of chocolate. But when is the last time you remember me sticking to tradition?

My version of this cake is a departure in almost every category, save for the chocolate and cherry flavors. Cake baking is not in my wheelhouse, so I went for a recipe that I knew I could count on—a sourdough chocolate cake from King Arthur Baking that has served me well before—and I adjusted the fillings to match it. My whipped cream filling is enhanced with mascarpone, making it more substantial to support the sturdy cake. The cake itself is not super sweet, so the cherries had to be. And kirsch liqueur (or any cherry liqueur, for that matter) is nowhere to be found in our liquor stores, so I reached straight for what’s plentiful at our house—bourbon, and that was a very good call.

The cake is not difficult to make, but it is fussy enough that it deserves a special occasion. I was going to save this until the week of Valentine’s Day, but my husband heard on his favorite sports talk show this morning that today is National Chocolate Cake Day, so, heck yeah! We might as well get a jump start on swooning over it. 😉

Every slice has a great balance of cherry and chocolate. Who cares if it isn’t a *true* Black Forest cake? 🙂

We splurged on this decadent, multi-layer dessert to finish our New Year’s Eve meal of White Clam Pizza and our newest addition, the Oysters Rockefeller Pizza, and the cake was delicious for the occasion (and, remarkably, just as good later as leftovers straight from the fridge).

Frosting a cake requires patience that I do not have (especially at the holidays), so I went for a more rustic appearance, which also afforded us a glimpse of the yumminess that was to come, in the form of mascarpone cream and cherries hanging out the sides. There was no whipped cream wrapped around the outside of my cake and no shavings of chocolate, as one would find on a true Black Forest Cake. But it was delicious, with a capital D.

My layers were a little uneven, but the flavors were phenomenal.

So, is it authentic Black Forest Cake? No, but “Sourdough Dark Chocolate Cake with Bourbon-Soaked Cherry and Mascarpone Filling with Ganache Topping” is a mouthful. Plus, it didn’t fit in the title box. 😉

Ingredients

1 recipe Sourdough Chocolate Cake | King Arthur Baking, baked in 9-inch layer pans* (see instruction notes)

Bourbon Cherries and Syrup

1 lb. bag frozen dark sweet cherries

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened black cherry juice

2 oz. bourbon

Mascarpone Filling

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz. tub mascarpone

1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Ganache Topping

8 oz. dark melting chocolate wafers

1 cup heavy cream

1 oz. amaretto (optional)

8 bourbon cherries or morello cherries, with stems (for decorating cake top)

Instructions

Bake the cake as instructed on King Arthur website. I followed the instructions with one ingredient adjustment; I replaced half of the natural cocoa with KA’s Double Dark Dutch Cocoa. I am crazy about the deep, dark color and chocolate flavor! Also, I baked it in two buttered and cocoa-dusted 9-inch layer pans rather than the 9 x 13 that was suggested, and the cake was done in 30 minutes. Cool the cake layers completely before removing them from the pans.

Not riding the sourdough train? No problem; use any other dark chocolate cake recipe you like, provided the layers are sturdy.

For the cherry syrup, mascarpone filling and shiny ganache topping, I’ll provide a visual walkthrough, and you can scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable recipe if you want to give it a go in your kitchen. Happy Chocolate Cake Day! 🙂

Combine the frozen cherries and sugar in a saucepan.
Add the unsweetened black cherry juice and bring to a slight boil.
When the syrup has simmered a few minutes, drain the cherries into a bowl and return the syrup to the pan.
Pour bourbon over the strained cherries and steep until they are cooled.
Simmer the syrup over medium heat until reduced to 2/3 cup.
Drain the cherries again and add the bourbon syrup to the other syrup.
Transfer the syrup into a squeeze bottle if you have one; I found it an easy way to distribute the syrup over the cake layers.
Sift powdered sugar into the heavy cream.
Whip the sweetened cream until soft and lightly fluffy.
Add the mascarpone and whip on low speed until until combined.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the syrup into the mascarpone and fold until blended.
Transfer the mascarpone cream to a large zip-top bag and put it in the refrigerator.
To slice the cake layers, I used a long piece of unflavored dental floss.
The layers may not be totally perfect, but that’s OK.
When you’re ready to assemble the cake, smear a small amount of mascarpone cream onto the cake platter to stabilize the first layer.
Drizzle about 1/3 of the cherry syrup over the cut side of the cake layer.
The syrup will soak into the cake, drenching every bite with the bourbon-cherry flavors.
Snip the corner of the mascarpone cream bag and pipe about 1/4 of it onto the soaked cake layer. Spread gently to get more coverage, or just fill in with a few dots of additional cream.
Arrange 1/3 of the drunken cherries onto the mascarpone cream. Repeat with the next two layers, saving a rounded piece for the top.
Pipe some of the remaining mascarpone cream around the top edge of the final layer. Refrigerate the cake while you make the ganache.
To make the ganache, heat heavy cream over medium-low heat until steaming. Pour over chocolate and leave it alone for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, blend with a whisk, stirring mainly in the center of the bowl.
At first, it will seem like it isn’t working, but stay with it.
Aha! Continue to whisk until the entire mixture is smooth and chocolatey.
This is what my ganache looked like after only one minute of whisking.
Stir in a small amount of corn syrup for a glossy shine and to keep the sugars from crystallizing.
Just for fun, I whisked in a half shot of amaretto. We like it in bourbon-cherry cocktails, and it worked here as well.
Slowly pour the cooled ganache onto the cake. The ganache will run off the center of the cake, but the mascarpone will keep it from running off. Keep pouring.
I poured the ganache right to the top of the edge. When the ganache has set, cover and refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Just before serving, pipe on the last bit of mascarpone cream, making little cushions for the bourbon cherries. Serve immediately.
The cake keeps very well in the fridge, and we decided the flavors were even better after a day or two!