bourbon Archives - Patent & the Pantry

Lockdown Libations no. 23 – Classic Cocktails: Boulevardier

June 11, 2021 No Comments

Things are shifting in this pandemic world: restaurants are opening their doors again to indoor dining, libraries are welcoming readers back, gyms are back to letting people do gym things. Bubbles are about to be relaxed. And second-dose delivery is ramping up as the government moved up dates for those who got their first vaccinations in April.

My blog, my opinion: I, too, want things to be like they were before (in terms of freedom to go where I want and see people without endangering their health), but it feels too quick. Too much, too soon. Without careful thought and consideration.

I had thought about winding Lockdown Libations down. Truthfully, I didn’t think it would be in it’s 25th week. (I gave myself a couple weeks off here and there).

But instead I’m going to take a break from new things and share some of my favourite classic cocktail recipes.

Starting with a Boulevardier.

I’m often surprised when people say they haven’t heard of this, but it’s nowhere near as famous as its… parent? Cousin? The Negroni. Same idea in terms of equal parts campari, sweet vermouth and gin, but for a Boulevardier you swap the gin with bourbon or whiskey. It’s one of those cocktails that’s dangerous easy to memorize and anyone with a semi-stocked liquor cabinet has all that’s needed. (Except, perhaps, like me, an orange peel. But I wouldn’t let that stop me and I suggest it shouldn’t stop you either.)

While the traditional recipe is equal parts, I like to lean a little more on the bourbon, which I find to be more balanced — not mathematically, of course, but in terms of taste.

I recommend experimenting. I’ve seen versions that use the traditional method. Others with 3/4 ounce each of Campari and vermouth to 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon and so on. There’s also no rule the Campari and vermouth need to be in equal volume. So, there’s room to play to make it truly your own.

The recipe I have here is my preferred version.

I’ll be back next week with another classic.

Boulevardier

1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
orange twist for garnish, optional

Add liquors to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into glass with fresh ice — preferably one large cube. Add garnish.

Drinks, Lockdown Libations

Lockdown Libations no. 14: Bourbon Sidecar

March 12, 2021 No Comments

I needed an easy one this week, so it was time for the Bourbon Sidecar.

Three simple ingredients, one quick shake with ice, presto: cocktail.

I think I had my first Sidecar thanks to a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. When it came time to put it in my own cookbook, I had to experiment to find the exact proportions of lemon, Cointreau and Cognac that I liked since research showed some variations. (In the end, I didn’t like any of the three I tried, so I dumped them into a pitcher and drank that, only to find it was the exact taste I had wanted. I then had to mathematically reverse engineer the recipe — worth it.)

Trying a bourbon version seemed a no-brainer. I like Sidecars. I like bourbon. Done.

Spoiler alert: this was, very unexpectedly, not my favourite.

It tasted good, don’t get me wrong. But I think it was a little less nuanced than the traditional version with Cognac. Something about it felt a little… plain.

Given how many cocktails in just 14 weeks have involved lemon, Cointreau and something else, I think I just wanted something more from this one.

Good, but probably not going to make it into the regular rotation. Care to disagree? I’d be eager to hear what you all think if you make it. Let me know!

Bourbon Sidecar

1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add bourbon, Cointreau and lemon juice. Shake vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds, until the vessel is cold to the touch. Strain into a glass.

Drinks, Lockdown Libations

Lockdown Libations no. 11: Gold Rush

February 19, 2021 4 Comments

I think the remainder of this project will essentially involve bouncing back and forth between gin and bourbon recipes, since that’s what the bulk of the bottles in my cupboard contain. With the odd vodka one thrown in.

Since last week was gin, it’s only fair to go back to bourbon. (I’m a middle child; I’m all about fair.)

I’ve also set a mini goal to not use Cointreau for at least the next couple of weeks. Which rules out the Bourbon Sidecar I was considering — watch this space!

Over the summer, when the travel restrictions were eased, I spent a few days in Kelowna and visited the Tantalus winery for a tasting. I ended up buying a few bottles. (Their Riesling is excellent.) And I impulse bought some of their honey. A little jar with the most beautiful golden colour. The vineyards have beehives and Arlo’s Honey Farm collects the golden liquid from them and puts it into jars so it can be sold in the wineshop.

I’ve been sitting on it for several months now mostly because I wasn’t sure what to do with it. (I basically use honey in tea and for peanut butter and honey sandwiches — I make no apologies — and this seemed a little bit of a waste for the Tantalus.) But I cracked it a few weeks ago for tea and when I was licking the spoon after, I was taken aback. The depth of flavour is so lovely. It’s not just that straight-up sweetness from big-production honey.

(Aside, I think I shall drizzle some over Parm tonight for watching the next episode of WandaVision.)

Coming across this recipe for a Gold Rush seemed the perfect opportunity to use this honey. And, really, it’s a Bourbon Sour with a different sweetener. What’s not to love?

Break out any good honey you have for this one. You will be rewarded.

Gold Rush

2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce honey syrup — see below
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
lemon peel, to garnish

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add bourbon, honey syrup and lemon juice. Shake vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds, until the vessel is cold to the touch. Strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with lemon peel.

Honey Syrup

Warm equal parts of honey and water on the stove (or microwave on low heat), stirring occasionally until dissolved.

Confession: I did this by boiling water and adding it to an equal part of honey and then stirred. Which, bonus, means not having to wash a pot.

Drinks, Lockdown Libations

Lockdown Libations no. 9: Bourbon Renewal

February 5, 2021 No Comments

Crème de cassis is probably the most unusual — or maybe unexpected — liquor in my cabinet.

And, if I’m going to be brutally honest, it should have been “retired” before now given it has, unlike many other liquors, a shelf life. Not that it goes bad, per se. But the flavours dull and the colour goes brown. Turns out, it should be kept in the fridge after opening. Lesson learned.

Likely known best for Kir Royales, crème de cassis is made from blackcurrants, which lends a lovely dark purple hue and fruity flavour. When added to white wine, it becomes a kir. Added to bubbles and it becomes ‘royale.’ Champagne makes everything fancier, naturellement.

Given the point of the series is to try new things, that meant no Kir Royales for me this time.

Turns out a very talented bartender in Portland, Oregon by the name of Jeffrey Morgenthaler created a recipe right up my alley: Bourbon Renewal.

Named after a band his former business partner was in, Morgenthaler came up with the drink for Clyde Common, which I am adding to my list of places to visit whenever travel is a safe option again. Do I hear 2022?

The drink is a play on a traditional bourbon sour, this cocktail adds a little crème de cassis for a berry undertone and beautiful colour — you know, if your crème de cassis is still the right shade.

I loved it. Which has made me think it wouldn’t be so bad to replace my retired bottle with a new one….

Bourbon Renewal

2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce crème de cassis
1/2 ounce simple syrup, or less to taste
1 dash Angostura bitters

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add bourbon, lemon juice, crème de cassis, simple syrup and bitters. Shake vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds, until the vessel is cold to the touch.

Strain into an ice-filled (oops!) Old Fashioned glass.

Drinks

Paper Plane

May 7, 2020 2 Comments

Who needs a drink?

For what it’s worth, I don’t think I’m drinking any more than normal even though we’re in the middle of an unprecedented time of pandemic and physical distancing.

The main difference is that I am, of course, doing it alone in my apartment because … well, Covid-19.

Maybe you are too. And maybe, just maybe, you’d like to add something new to your repertoire?

Meet the Paper Plane.

Fun fact: it has all the hallmarks of a classic cocktail, but it’s actually quite a modern drink — invented by Australian bartender Sam Ross, ostensibly as a nod to the song of the same name by M.I.A.

It was the bourbon that drew me in. Well, and lemon, obviously.

Those two — which form the basis of my entry point into the world of bourbon (via a classic Bourbon Sour) — are a natural pairing. But the drink becomes much more complex with addition of Amaro Nonino and Aperol, which add herbaceous and bitter elements.

The result is a well balanced cocktail that is remarkably easy to make. I mean, it is literally equal parts of four ingredients — one measuring implement (What? Sometimes I don’t want to dig out my jigger. *shrug*), no math.

Paper Plane

3/4 ounce bourbon
3/4 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

Add all the ingredients and ice into a shaker. Shake vigorously until the shaker begins to chill.

Strain into a coupe glass.

Garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

Drinks

Bourbon Old-Fashioned

March 3, 2013 1 Comment

Things have been roller coaster-ish in the last couple of weeks. Some pretty good highs, some devastating lows.

And, while I’m not one to advocate drinking away your sorrows, suffice to say that there were a couple of nights when I got home from work and really felt like I could use a cocktail.

Lately, I’ve been loving the classic Bourbon Old-Fashioned. I had a couple at National back in December, raising a few eyebrows among the group I was with.

“That smells like my dad’s liquor cabinet,” said one friend after taking a sniff.

She may have a point, but I really love this cocktail. So, since then, I’ve kept ordering them. Like at Charcut a couple of weeks ago.

Later, out of curiousity, I looked up the recipe and saw how easy they are to make.

So when the cocktail urge struck, I bought a bag of ice, made some simple syrup and stirred myself a drink.

Bourbon Old-Fashioned

Typically, the recipe calls for straight orange, but I happened to have a couple of blood oranges lying around, so I used slices of that. Of course, use what you have on hand. Although I usually have Maker’s Mark, I recently bought a bottle of Buffalo Trace, which I’m enjoying a lot.

1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 orange slice
splash of soda water
ice cubes
2 1/2 fl. oz. bourbon

In a double old-fashioned glass (or, in my case, whatever glass I have lying around that is clean), combine the sugar cube, bitters, orange slice and soda water and muddle together. Add a handful of ice cubes, then the bourbon. Stir well.

Makes 1 drink.

Baking, Desserts

Bourbon Blondies

January 28, 2013 9 Comments

I like a good bourbon cocktail.

An Old Fashioned, a Sour, a Mint Julep.

But when I pull out my bottle of bourbon at home, more often than not it’s because I’m adding it to something I’m baking.

There are the Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies, the Vanilla Cupcakes with Bourbon Buttercream and these, the Bourbon Blondies.

Since first unveiling a plate of these boozy bars at a friend’s house a few summers ago, they have become my go-to dessert for potlucks and parties. They’ve been packed along to ski weekends and made an appearance at a party kicking off 2013. They remain one of my most requested baked goods within my circle of friends.

Though maybe not after I reveal just how easy they are to make and everyone just starts whipping up their own batches.

I don’t remember when or how I first stumbled upon a recipe for blondies. They don’t seem quite as well-known on this side of the border as they are south of it.

So, when I put out a plate of them, I’m often asked just what they are exactly. And the answer is they’re kind of like a brownie, but minus the cocoa, which makes a brownie, well, brown.

Perhaps a more accurate description is they’re kind of bar-like cookies.

The beauty of them lies in both how easy they are to make and their adaptability.

Like brownies, you melt the butter, which makes them great for impulse baking, as opposed to most cakes and cookies, which require room temperature butter.

The addition of bourbon puts a spin on things – no pun intended. The alcohol will mostly cook off – and the amount for the entire pan is a mere two ounces, or the equivalent of one of my favourite cocktails – but the flavour remains.

Bourbon Blondies

To keep these kid-friendly or if bourbon isn’t your thing, simply omit the alcohol and the additional 1 tablespoon of flour. Use whatever additions feel good; I typically use chocolate chips and pecans, but have tried other nuts and even dried fruits, such as cranberries. For the bourbon, I use whatever I have on hand or, occasionally, whiskey instead.

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, melted
1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1/4 cup (60 mL) bourbon or whiskey
pinch salt
1 cup plus 1 tbsp (250 plus 15 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) chocolate chips
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

Butter an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) pan and line with parchment paper that has extra to hang over the sides like a sling. (This makes for easy removal and slicing.)

In a bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, then vanilla. Stir in the bourbon or whiskey and mix until combined. Add the salt and then gently stir in the flour. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and stir until just combined.

Scrape into the lined pan and pat down the rather thick batter so it creates a layer that reaches the edges of the pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the middle has set.

Remove and cool on a rack before removing from the pan and slicing.

Baking, Desserts

Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies

October 16, 2011 8 Comments

The first time I had pecan pie was when I was 16 and visiting a friend in England for a month during summer holidays. There were visits to Stonehenge and London, trips on the train to Bath, but a lot of the time was spent hanging out in Bristol with her boyfriend and his friend, with whom I struck up a short summer romance.

It was not to last, but part of our brief courtship included an invitation to dinner at his family’s house. Details have likely been repressed due to all that teenage awkwardness, but one thing is clear in my mind: his mom made pecan pie.

It was delicious.

Since then I’ve been drawn to variations on the pecan pie. (Not, to be clear, in any way related to yearning for the boy who ended things in a long-distance call just a few weeks after I returned to Canada, but because I like the idea of this pie, the rich pecans and sweet goo filling.)

(And, as an aside, you can read a bit more about my short-lived summer romance in another pecan pie-related post here.)

But I can rarely get excited about making pastry.

And then I came across a recipe for Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies.

Where a crust would be, instead a fudgy, chewy brownie and a pecan pie topping kicked up with some bourbon.

Seemed to me like two very fine things coming together to make an even finer thing.

I found it on a blog, but the recipe originated (and had been adapted from) an NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook, the idea of which totally charms me.

I used to use the same brownie recipe every time I felt like a chocolate fix, until I found a recipe for Rocky Road Brownies, which used no leavening. The resulting brownies were dense and fudgy and a revelation.

They are, unsurprisingly, rich — two sweet desserts combined into one. And the bourbon retains some of heady kick, so be warned.

The original recipe says it makes 16 bars; I’d suggest cutting smaller.

After all, you can always eat two.

Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies

The original recipe calls for the two layers to bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes to set the pecan pie layer. Don’t be afraid to go longer; mine were in for 45 minutes before the centre had set.

For the brownies:

1/2 cup (125 mL) flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) cocoa powder
1 ¼ cup (300 mL) sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325F (160C). In a small bowl, beat together eggs and vanilla, then set aside. In a double boiler set over boiling water, combine butter, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix as the butter melts until everything is combined. Remove from heat and whisk in egg and vanilla mixture.

Add flour and stir until combined. Pour into 8 by 8-inch (20 by 20 cm) baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the pecan pie layer:

1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) corn syrup
2 eggs
1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla extract
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
2 tbsp (25 mL) bourbon
2 cups (500 mL) chopped pecans

Beat together corn syrup and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and cinnamon, and beat. Add butter and bourbon and beat again until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans and pour the mixture over the brownie layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool completely, then refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

This article first appeared in the Calgary Herald. For more food-related articles and recipes, check out the Herald’s food page.

Baking, Desserts

Vanilla Cupcakes with Bourbon Buttercream

September 7, 2011 8 Comments

It was my friend Dan Clapson’s birthday the other day.

As part of what turned out to be a long weekend’s worth of celebrating (for him, not me), on the Monday evening we had Monday Night Supper Club (head here for some play-by-plays of these weekly events) at Stanley Park. Dan laid out some ground rules for the potluck. OK, one rule: everything had to be shaped like a cake.

Since Dan seemed to be a very lucky birthday boy who got everything he hoped for over the weekend, who was I to deny this particular wish? So, leading up to the big day I was pondering ideas. And I was drawing blanks. I really just wanted to make cupcakes. What? I know my strengths.

And for some reason, I kept thinking about creating with some sort of bourbon-flavoured icing.

I thought it was pretty original, but a quick Google search showed recipes are out there. And that is a good thing because it gave me a great jumping off point.

It’s tasty stuff, I can’t lie. But it’s also incredibly boozy despite the fact there is very little booze in it. Three tablespoons, about 1 1/2 shots. And only half of that made it onto the cupcakes (it’s enough icing for 24 cupcakes, not 12; the remainder is sitting in my fridge and I’m still trying to figure out what to do with it. Make more cupcakes seems the most logical answer.), so, really, it was 3/4 of a shot for the entire batch. You’re certainly not going to get drunk on them, that’s for sure.

People got pretty creative with the picnic potluck, including Chelsea who brought a sushi cake, complete with sweet potato “candles.”

Adria Britton with the very popular pizza pull-apart bread bundt.

Jamie Penno brought a savoury bacon-and-cheese cake.

And Dan brought a potato salad “cake,” which was an intriguing take if not completely successful. Points for creativity!

I felt a bit non-creative for bringing straight up cupcakes, but I’m pretty sure the bourbon icing made up for that.

And it was a lovely night to be in the park. Perfect way to end a lazy long weekend.

Vanilla Cupcakes
This is straight from Martha Stewart’s recipe for yellow cupcakes (though I rewrote the instructions a bit). They are yellow, but I prefer to focus on their flavour.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a muffin tin with liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In measuring cup or bowl, mix milk and vanilla.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well each time. Turn mixer down to low, then add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and vanilla and then the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Divide evenly among muffin cups.

Place tin on rimmed cookie sheet and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. (Martha suggests 20 to 25 minutes; mine were done by 18, so don’t be afraid to check early.) Cool cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove to a rack and cool completely before frosting.

Top with bourbon buttercream.

Bourbon Buttercream
And I adapted this one from My Recipes.

1/2 cup butter
1 pound icing sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter until creamy. Add half of the icing sugar and beat, followed by the milk and bourbon and vanilla. Mix until blended. Add the remaining sugar and beat until thick and smooth.

Boulevardier

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Bourbon Sidecar

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Gold Rush

Honey Syrup

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Bourbon Renewal

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