Bartenders Tell Us What to Do With a Bottle of Bourbon (Past Drinking It Straight)
It’s hard to mess up bourbon: America’s favorite whiskey is great straight, on the rocks, or in a highball. (Just make sure you give it proper respect in a nice glass.) But what if you want to go beyond your weeknight standard of booze-in-a-glass-with-ice?
To answer that very pressing question, we asked bartenders across the country what they would do with a bottle of bourbon—you know, if they couldn’t just drink it straight. And, unsurprisingly, many of them agave the same answer: “Make old fashioneds.” (A full 7 different bartenders, in fact.) So definitely start there. But when you’re ready for more, read on.
Classic Cocktails
The old fashioned isn’t the only game in town. Jillian Voze at Dead Rabbit in New York likes a whiskey flip, while Eric Tschudi of Shuko, also in New York, recommends a boozy Boulevardier. Meanwhile, Pamela Wiznitzer, president of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, loves a whiskey sour—“or try other lesser known recipes, like the [Lion’s Tail](http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/05/time-for-a-drink-the-lions-tail-whiskey-cocktail-recipe.html.” (If you want to make one, you’ll have to Google gomme syrup first.)
Not-So-Classic Cocktails
Xavier Herit at the Nomo Soho Hotel in New York likes bourbon with coffee, so he serves a cocktail featuring bourbon, coffee-infused Cynar, Luzardo, and Scotch. Meanwhile, Jason Lukarick at Charcoal in Venice, California, serves a smoky riff on the old fashioned Smoke & Fire.
Get Batched
You’ve got the whole bottle, so why not use it to make a whole bottle’s worth of old fashioneds? That’s what Benjamin Wood of Beatnik in Chicago does. Just a “little simple math” stands between you and a pitcher full of old fashioneds. So get multiplying.
Bourbon Infusion
Or you can get creative. Shawn Chen of RedFarm and Decoy recommends get a high proof bottle of bourbon and “infusing it with herbs or flowers.” He says he once “infused bourbon with chrysanthemum as the base of an old-fashioned” for a result that was “...light and fragrant with chrysanthemum and finished with the rounded taste of bourbon.” If you’re feeling the DIY itch, go for this option.
Spin, Spin, Spin
Or you could do what Juyoung Kang of The Dorsey in Las Vegas does: “Have fun and play spin the bottle.” ButAnd instead of kissing, take shots.
