I wasn’t always a bourbon drinker – in fact, back in the day I was the furthest thing from a bourbon drinker. Vodka Sprite was my drink of choice, and I vehemently stayed clear of any dark liquors – mostly due to running with a large gaggle of gays. Luckily my taste in liquor evolved over the years as much as if no more than my taste in friends.
These days I tend to opt for a bourbon on the rocks if I’m drinking around the house, and I love to try any bourbon craft cocktails when I’m out enjoying dinner with friends or family. Which is why I was pumped to have the chance to team up with I.W. Harper for some Bourbon Mixology 101 at Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar last week.
If you’re in Louisville and on the hunt for delicious grub paired with equally as delicious cocktails then Doc Crow’s is a name you’d do well to be familiar with. From their peel and eat shrimp, which are easily some of the best shrimp I’ve ever enjoyed, to shrimp and grits that even your grandma would approve of there’s not a single thing on their Southern inspired food menu that’ll disappoint. And thanks to Keri, their lead mixologist, their drink menu does not disappoint either.
I knew I was in good company (and in for a good time) whenever I sat down at the bar for my mixology lesson, and the first thing we talk about is that she’s running Urban Bourbon Half Marathon in the morning because of the bourbon at the finish line. We spent the next couple of hours mixing up a few drinks (recipes for y’all below) and chowing down on some of the best food their menu had to offer.
So next time you’re at your favorite restaurant, that happens to have a killer craft cocktail program, I’d encourage you to sit yourself at the bar, start a conversation with the mixologist nearest you, and maybe you’ll just learn a thing or two about bourbon mixology for yourself.
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Just a Bit Outside
Ingredients
- 2.0 oz I.W. Harper bourbon
- ~0.5 oz Benedictine D.O.M.
- ~0.5 oz Rivulet
- ~0.5 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 white sugar to water)
- dash of Bar Keep Apple bitters
- dash of Angostura bitters
Instructions
- Into a small shaker tin, combine all ingredients and shake with ice.
- Single strain into a double old fashioned glass, and add fresh ice.
- Microplane a fresh cinnamon stick and whole nutmeg over the glass, making sure to lightly coat the top of the cocktail.
- Garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Classic Bourbon Sour
Ingredients
- 2.0 oz I.W. Harper bourbon
- 1.0 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1.0 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 white sugar to water)
- 1 egg white (or 1.0 oz liquid egg white)
Instructions
- Into a small shaker tin, add all ingredients and DRY SHAKE (with no ice) for 10 seconds.
- Add ice and shake again.
- Single strain into coupe glass, or into a double old fashioned glass if ice is preferred.
- Add a few drops of Angostura bitters not only for taste, but as a garnish.
New York Bourbon Sour
Ingredients
- 2.0 oz I.W. Harper bourbon
- 1.0 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1.0 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 white sugar to water)
- 1 egg white (or 1.0 oz liquid egg white)
- 2.0 oz Red Wine (sweet preferred)
Instructions
- Into a small shaker tin, add first four ingredients and DRY SHAKE (with no ice) for 10 seconds.
- Add ice and shake again.
- Single strain into coupe glass, or into a double old fashioned glass if ice is preferred.
- Slowly pour the red wine over the back of a bar spoon.
- The wine should layer nicely between the sour and the foamy top.
Disclosure: I am working in partnership with I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Whiskey is intended for those whom alcohol is legal and appropriate. Please Drink Responsibly!
Photos Taken and Edited by Josh Johnson
Cocktails Crafted and Prepared by Keri Smith
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