Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week and Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup

October 20, 2020 Eric Burke

The cocktail syrup reviewed below was provided by Heaven Hill as part of a media kit announcing Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week. Also included was branded merchandise which I will be holding onto for a future giveaway. These were provided with no strings attached.

I’ll admit it. I’m late to letting folks know about this. In fact, I’d missed the press release when this was announced and only found out about it when a media kit arrived on my doorstep. I don’t normally reprint Press Releases, but I’ll be quoting the included Press Release below as I think that the cause they are promoting is a good one.

Dear Friend of Heaven Hill Distillery,

Welcome to the inaugural Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week. While we knew the original concept for this week would be great, as 2020 morphed into a banner year of unprecedented times we quickly understood the greater impact we could have on the hospitality industry. Many of our friends and family in this community have felt the effects of COVID-19, so to support them we have committed to raising up to $100,000 for the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation from this week's events.

You'll see some familiar faces on our schedule at OldFashionedWeek.com, where you can register for events or donate. The event lineup includes 'Old Fashioned Bar Trivia' with Heaven Hill Distillery Ambassadors Bernie Lubbers and Jack Choate, 'The Art of Crafting Ice' with Portland-based bartender and author Jeffrey Morgenthaler, and ‘Elevating Your Home Bar’ with Devin Kennedy, bartender at Pouring Ribbons.

Chef Richard Blais headlines the week as host of an "Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour" on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Included in this media kit are several items to assist in your preparation of an Elijah Craig Old Fashioned, as well as other necessary cocktail accessories for your home bar. The Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Syrup was specifically formulated to highlight the flavor profile of Elijah Craig Bourbon within this classic cocktail. Starting at 8 p.m. eastern time, Chef Blais will take you through a night of discovering the Greatness Within® the hospitality community as he shares recipes, tips and tricks, and Q & A sessions with special guests. This live event will be available on OldFashionedWeek.com, as well as streamed on Elijah Craig's YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Join us as we raise a glass to celebrating one great cocktail for an even greater cause through Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week.

Though my own businesses have suffered throughout the pandemic, I know that there are others out there that have it worse than I do. I still have the income to pay the bills and even buy whiskey. Many, especially in the hospitality industry do not. If you have the means, please join me in helping out by making a donation to the Restaurant Workers Community foundation at OldFashionedWeek.com.

Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided as part of a media kit. Pricing was not included but a google search showed it selling online for about $12.

Details: 4.06% ABV. 40 calories per 0.5 fl. oz.

Mouth: Orange, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, and a bitter note.

In an Old Fashioned: (I followed the recipe on the bottle of 2 oz Elijah Craig to 1 tablespoon of syrup in an ice-filled glass garnished with a cocktail cherry.) Sweet, cinnamon, ginger, Vanilla, mint. As they stated, it plays nicely with Elijah Craig in an old fashioned.

Thoughts: I like but don’t love this. It makes a sweeter Old fashioned than I, personally, care for. But then my favorite Non-Alcoholic drinks are black coffee and soda water with bitters in it. The flavors pair very nicely with Elijah Craig, so if you like a sweet Old Fashioned and don't feel like making a batch of simple syrup, then this is the perfect option for you. I probably wouldn't buy it for my home bar due to the sweetness level, but I can certainly see a place for it for those with a sweet tooth. Or for those who need to make a batch of Old Fashioneds for a gathering... Once we can have gatherings again.

Though when we can have gatherings again, I’ll probably be heading to a bar to have my favorite bartenders make it for me. And tip them generously for their work.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Lyre's American Malt and Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative

June 16, 2020 Eric Burke

IMAGE: Two brands of Non-Alcoholic drinks that claim to be Whiskey alternatives. Lyre’s American Malt and Ritual Zero Proof.

Have you ever thought to yourself “Man, I could really enjoy a whiskey cocktail right now, but I don’t feel like drinking?”

I haven’t either, when I don’t feel like drinking but don’t want something sweet, I shake some bitters into soda water and call it good. When I feel like a cocktail, I have a cocktail. But I am apparently out of touch with trends these days because I’m hearing more and more people talk about mocktails (a name I seriously hate) and even alcohol-free bars. I’ve even started seeing bottles of “Whiskey Alternative” on the shelf of my local liquor store.

Now, I like to think I have an open mind. And when I don’t exactly understand something, I like to learn more about it. And being the curious fellow that I am, I took it upon myself to find out a little more about why I might want a “Zero-Proof Whiskey Alternative” and if there is any room for them in my life. So I bought the bottle at my local liquor store which happened to be from Ritual Zero-Proof. They make a whiskey alternative and a gin alternative. And because I like to be thorough, I ordered a bottle of Lyre’s American Malt as well. I’d been seeing mentions of Lyre’s since the end of last year and I was genuinely curious about them.

I tasted each of these neat (not how they were intended to be served) so that I could get a handle on their flavors. I also used each of these in a variety of cocktails. I made each into a Manhattan (using actual vermouth and bitters), a sour, and a highball with Q ginger ale and a squeeze of lime.

Lyre's American Malt

Purchase Info: $35.99 plus shipping for a 700 mL bottle from the company website.

Nose: Molasses, caramel, ginger

Mouth: Very thin, no body to the mouthfeel. Weak iced tea notes.

Finish: Ginger, cinnamon, molasses, weak iced tea.

Thoughts: This smells and tastes way more like a rum than a whiskey. Those molasses notes are very prominent. Obviously this wasn't meant to be a sipping drink and it isn't. It doesn't taste bad for what it is.

Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative

Purchase Info: $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Nose: Smoke, bubblegum, apple

Mouth: Smoke, hot pepper, and weak green tea.

Finish: Hot pepper spice and smoke.

Thoughts: Ever been sick after eating a spicy meal? This tastes like that with a healthy dose of smoke thrown in.

Manhattan:

Lyre's kinda gets lost among the other ingredients. Orange and vermouth with a hint of molasses.

Ritual does not get lost, but that’s a problem since it tastes so bad that I was hoping the vermouth and orange would help hide it.

Sour:

Lyre's kinda tastes like a lemonade. Not too bad, might be good sparkling.

Ritual tastes more like a cocktail but the hot pepper flavor comes through too much for me.

Ginger Ale Highball:

Lyre's actually isn't bad at all. the molasses notes pair very nicely with the ginger ale. This would be my favorite of the six cocktails we made today.

Ritual once again suffers from the notes of raw hot peppers. Of the cocktail I've tried Ritual in today, the ginger ale highball is the best, but I'd still rather just have the ginger ale.

Thoughts:

I was genuinely curious about these. The Lyre's especially since they make an entire line of spirit alternatives. And truthfully, the Lyre’s American Malt wasn't bad. I could wish for a bit more spice to it, but bitters will help with that. If you are in the market for a "whiskey" with no alcohol you could do worse.

Speaking of worse, there is the Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative. This tastes like no whiskey I've ever had except maybe the Dickel/Tabasco thing. I think they were trying to hit the burn of a whiskey by using the hot peppers but it didn't land. At all. I'll probably just dump this one. I do not even remotely like it.

So do I have a place in my life for these? Probably not. Like I said earlier, I get more enjoyment and variety out of a couple of dashes of bitters in my soda water than I did from either of these. It’s easier too. Honestly, I think that the non-aged spirit alternatives from these brands might work better. Anything that is based on an infusion in spirit form, like gin or some of the liqueurs, might actually be ok since you could follow the same process to make these. Trying to hit the flavor profile of an oak barrel with spices seems to be a dicey proposition at best.

Bourbon Gouda from Cheese Brothers, Inc.

May 19, 2020 Eric Burke

IMAGE: Bourbon Gouda from Cheese Bros. Inc.

Bourbon and cheese are two of my favorite things. And if I had to choose only one, it would probably be cheese. I love cheese of all kinds. Everything from 15-year-old sharp cheddar to crumbly, stinky blue, to process cheese food. I love it all.

And before you get on me for including process cheese food, remember I grew up poor enough to stand in line for free government cheese. You develop a taste for things after you have enough of it. Besides, there isn’t a burger or a grilled cheese sandwich that can’t be made better with the addition of a little melty American Cheese. (I tend to use both process cheese and a blend of Cheddar, and Monterey Jack for both if I have the opportunity…I like my cheeseburgers cheesy and that American really helps get the other cheeses melting.) I’ve even made my own process cheese out of an eight-year cheddar and this recipe from Serious Eats. I’ve made my own fresh mozzarella too, but that doesn’t make as good of a story.

As you might have noticed, when I get geeky about something, I tend to get really geeky about something. That said, one thing I never did geek out about was combining bourbon and cheese. To be honest, it never occurred to me to combine the two before consuming them. I’ve had plenty of cheeses with bourbon and plenty of bourbons with cheese. But only once before have I had a cheese that has bourbon as one of its ingredients. And I really liked it. When we saw that a cheese company headquartered in my wife’s hometown was selling a Bourbon Gouda as well, well we had to try that one too.

Cheese Bros. Inc. is a company created by a pair of friends with cheese in their genes. The story starts over 100 years ago with a Swiss immigrant to the US. He settled in Northwestern Wisconsin and started making cheese. Eventually, his family sold the business to a large international dairy firm. Apparently, the family couldn’t quite get cheese out of their blood as not one, but two further cheese businesses were formed by the descendants. One became the largest producer of Italian-style cheeses in the country (and employer of many of my family members at one time or another). And the other is Cheese Bros, Inc.

Cheese Bros. Inc. is a small firm that sells cheeses sourced from all over Wisconsin. Their store is located in the Mall of America, where I discovered them. Interesting to me that they started just a few miles from where I started and I found them at their store just a few miles from where am now. Of course, you don’t need to live in any of the places I have lived to enjoy their cheeses. They have a website that will ship it to where you happen to be from.

I’m a big fan of the smoked provolone and the eight-year-old cheddar. Let’s see how I feel about their Bourbon Gouda.

Cheese Bros. Bourbon Gouda

Purchase Info: $5.99 from the Cheese Bros. website.

Nose: Buttery with a hint of smoke and bourbon.

Mouth: Buttery and sweet with subtly smoky, bourbon notes on the "finish."

Thoughts: This tastes great on a cracker and pairs amazingly with Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond. I think I like this one more than the Red Apple one I reviewed earlier.

My Wandering Eye: Copper & Kings "Floodwall" Apple Brandy

February 26, 2020 Eric Burke

My Wandering Eye is an ongoing series reacting to the rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. My hope is to see if another spirits category offers something that is downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits, but to maximize the quality, I’m getting at a particular price point. And one thing to remember is that these reviews will all be written from the perspective of a bourbon drinker.

IMAGE: Copper and Kings Flood Wall Apple Brandy.

A few weeks ago, I was out doing some shopping for next month’s brackets. As I was waiting for a store employee to find a particular size bottle of bourbon from their overstock, I decided to wander around the other aisles and see what my wandering eye might behold.

As is often the case, I wandered over to the brandy aisle. Brandy and rum will often scratch the same “aged spirit” itch that bourbon does so when I’m in a bourbon frame of mind, I tend to go to one of those aisles when wandering. I wasn’t planning on buying anything. I really just wanted to see what they had.

Let me detour here to tell you about the most wonderful brandy I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. I was in Louisville at Proof on Main, the bar in the 21C hotel. It was a weekday, early enough that the post-work crowds had only started to trickle in. My wife and I had walked down from our hotel (or maybe we were staying there this time, I don’t really recall) for a contemplative dram while we planned out our next day’s activities. The bartender was a young guy, but not really a bourbon drinker. He did, however, have a bottle of pear brandy from Copper & Kings that a friend had gifted to him behind the bar. And since it was slow, he poured a sample for my wife, another patron, and I. This brandy had the most amazing nose I’ve ever had the pleasure to behold. It was long enough ago that I don’t remember the details, but I do remember that I nosed that for the next half hour. It was good enough that I didn’t want to drink the sample because that would mean I couldn’t nose this anymore. Eventually, though, it was gone and I was just left with that amazing memory.

So back to the store. As I walked down the brandy aisle, I noticed an Apple Brandy from Copper & Kings. I’d had a few of their grape brandies and though they were good, I knew that they could do some truly amazing things when working with other fruits. And before I knew it, the apple brandy named after the Louisville Floodwall was in my cart too.

Copper & Kings "Floodwall" Apple Brandy

Purchase Info: $34.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50ml): $2.33

Details: 50% ABV. Non-Chill filtered. No post-distillation addition of apple flavor or essences. No Boisé. No added sugar or caramel color.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, apple

Mouth: Dried apples, vanilla, baking spices

Finish: Gentle and flavorful. Notes of caramel, apples, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: From start to finish, this is basically a dessert in a glass. Think of an apple turnover or a caramel apple pie. I could even be talked into tasting the crust. This is delicious. Of course, it doesn’t rise to the level of the pear brandy in my memory, but I didn’t really expect it to. I will, however, be enjoying the heck out of this whenever it is in my glass.

Copper Mule Cup from MoscowMuled.com

February 4, 2020 Eric Burke

IMAGE: Two copper cups with a hammered finish.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from the proprietor of MoscowMuled.com. They were wondering if I would like to take a look at them and maybe showcase them on the site. Now, I’ve never had the chance to make the Moscow Mule cocktail. Mostly because I do not stock vodka in my house. So I was going to pass on this opportunity.

But before I did, I wanted to do my due diligence and checked out their site. When I got there, I realized that these were beautiful mugs. I also saw that they were relatively inexpensive at less than $20 for a set of two. I sent the link over to my wife, and she responded with, “ooh! Pretty!”

Now, if you’ve met my wife, you will know that she loves glassware. We have so much that we can’t use them all. And when I suggested that maybe we sell or donate some of our extras, she responded with, “but they are our friends!” So she might have a glassware problem. That said, I suffer from at least a touch of it myself, so who am I to talk?

Once my wife was on board, I got to looking through the site a little more. One of the first things I noticed during this expanded look through the website was a link in the top navigation that says “Giving Back.” Moscow Muled, as a company, is set up as a Social Enterprise. This means that their primary goal is not just to make a profit, but also to make the world a better place. In this case, Moscow Muled gives 15% of its profits “to several non-profit organizations that work to stop impaired driving.”

I thought that was pretty cool. So I let the company know that instead of taking up their offer of a review unit, that I’d be placing an order instead. And I did. $19.50 + $5.50 shipping, and a couple of days later, I had two very pretty mugs arrive in my mailbox.

So how are they? Well, I really like them. They are really pretty (have I mentioned that yet?). An iced drink stays cold forever, even though these are not insulated mugs. At 16 fluid ounces in capacity, these hold enough for spirit, mixers, and a generous amount of ice. The company says you can use them for hot or cold drinks, but they do transfer heat or cold quite well, so I’m not sure I’d really want to use them for a hot drink. It was bad enough holding them after washing in hot water. My only nitpick is the size of the handle. I have pretty big hands and think that these would be much more comfortable to hold if the handle was a little wider as it rested on my pinky finger. Overall though, this was $25 well spent. After having used them quite a bit in the last couple of weeks on Kentucky Mules, I honestly wouldn’t have blinked if they had charged one and a half to twice that.

My Wandering Eye: Chateau de Laubade Vintage Collection

January 28, 2020 Eric Burke

My Wandering Eye is an ongoing seriess reacting to the rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. My hope is to see if another spirits category offers something that is downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits, but to maximize the quality, I’m getting at a particular price point. And one thing to remember is that these reviews will all be written from the perspective of a bourbon drinker.

A few years back I turned 40. To celebrate such a milestone, I thought that a spirit that was distilled in my year of birth would be a fun way to go. And I was right, it was delicious. I loved it. And so when I was doing a little holiday gift shopping this year, I noticed that the same brand had a “gift set” of 200 mL bottles that ranged from about 20 to about 40 years old. I was very intrigued. So much so that I took a photo, texted my wife and said “if I get enough from tips and gifts this Christmas, I’m buying this as a present to myself.” Luckily my family and clients were nice to me this year and I was able to do so.

Chateau de Laubade Vintage Collection

Purchase Info: $199.99 for five 200 mL bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: Distilled in the year on the label. Bottled in June 2019. 40% ABV.

Price per Drink (50mL): $10

Bas Armagnac Laubade 2000

Nose: Oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruit

Mouth: Follows the nose with oak, nutmeg, cinnamon, and dried fruit.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering baking spice notes that fade to reveal dried fruit.

Thoughts: This is really good. If the others are as good, this is going to be a very nice Christmas present.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1998

Nose: Dried fruit, brown sugar, hints of BBQ smoke

Mouth: Dried fruit, brown sugar, baking spice

Finish: Fairly gentle with lingering dried fruit and an oak "twang"

Thoughts: Proving once again that age is just a number, this is much more fruit-forward than its younger brother. As such, I like the 2000 edition better.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1995

Nose: This is a toffee bomb. under that are dried fruit, anise and hints of mint

Mouth: Surprisingly, there is no toffee on the mouth. Instead, this is herbal and almost savory. I'm getting anise, oregano, clove, mint, and dried fruit.

Finish: Warm and herbal with lingering clove, anise and dried fruit notes.

Thoughts: This is very herbal and I really like it. This has the warmest finish of the group so far.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1988

Nose: Pipe tobacco, brown sugar, dried cherries, leather

Mouth: Cinnamon, dark chocolate, oak, dried fruit

Finish: Gentle but the flavors linger a long time. Notes of cinnamon, cocoa powder, oak, and dried fruit.

Thoughts: This is the first in the set where the barrel really starts to take over the flavor profile. The dark chocolatey notes mix with the cinnamon and dried fruit to make this a very dessert-like drink. I really like it.

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1979

Nose: Dry oak, almond, mint, and cherry

Mouth: Cherry, oak, almond, cinnamon, and citrus

Finish: Fairly gentle with lingering notes of cinnamon and cherry.

Thoughts: This one is a bit of a let down after the last one. This one trends back toward the fruit influence in the flavor. It is still very good, but I think the 1988 is more in line with my tastes.

Rankings

My Ranking: 1988, 1979, 1995, 2000, 1998

Robin’s Ranking: 1988, 1995, 1979, 1998, 2000

Final Thoughts

I had a lot of fun with this one. Was it a good value? Well, no. Not if you just look at the price of the components. I mean this is $200 for one liter of brandy. And the oldest 200 ml in there would sell for about $200 for a 750 ml, the second oldest going for $120 and the youngest ones are all $80 or under. So no, it really isn’t a good value on the face of it.

But a fun experience is worth some money. I’ve often wished that Four Roses would offer a collection of 50mL bottles from each of their 10 recipes for sale in the gift shop. Comparing all 10 side by side is a super fun experience. I know, I did a series of posts on it back in 2014. So, if you look at how much I enjoyed the experience of tasting these brandies side by side, then this gift set certainly is a good value. I would never be able to afford a full bottle of each to do the comparison so I think I’m happy to pay the premium for the experience. Especially since I either liked or loved every one in there.

Plus, I bought it with gift money. I’m supposed to buy myself something I wouldn’t have otherwise, right?

Empress 1908 Gin and a DIY Version

January 21, 2020 Eric Burke

IMAGE: Miniature bottle of Empress 1908 Gin

Empress 1908 gin is a Canadian Gin that has been infused with Butterfly Pea Flower to give it a blue hue. The cool thing about Butterfly Pea Flower infusions is that their color is sensitive to pH. In other words, if you increase the acidity of the liquid it will turn from dark blue to a lovely purple. And if you reduce the acidity of the liquid it will turn back to blue. It makes a lovely cup of tea. And I do mean lovely, the colors are beautiful.

And so when Empress 1908 gin, a gin infused with Butterfly Pea Flower, was brought to my attention I was very interested. A few years back, I spent an entire spring playing with infusing herbs, spices, fruit, flowers, and tea in alcohol. But I never ran across Butterfly Pea Flower in my experimentation. So, of course, the first thing I did was to look at their website. And since it is gin, I looked at the cocktail section. I found the following cocktail recipe for the Bees Knees.

IMAGE: Screeshot from https://www.empressgin.com/our-cocktails/bees-knees/

Isn’t that pretty? So of course, after I did the tasting notes, I decided to make that cocktail. I’m a sucker for pretty. Probably has something to do with my artistic streak. But speaking of tasting notes.

Empress 1908 Gin

Purchase info: $4.99 for a 50 mL bottle at the Party Source, Bellevue, KY

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.99

Details: Botanicals on Website are: tea, juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, and butterfly pea blossom. 42.5% ABV.

Nose: Juniper, ginger

Month: Delicately flavored. Think floral vodka. Not much juniper. Ginger is the dominant note.

Finish: Not much of one to speak of.

Thoughts: Kinda meh. It's a pretty mediocre gin with a great idea behind it. You don't buy this one to sip, this is purchased to make pretty drinks. So let's make that pretty drink above.

IMAGE: Cocktail made with Empress 1908 Gin

Ummmm…I’m thinking that there might have been something going on with their website photography. the drink I made has the slightest purple tint. But it isn’t vibrant or really even purple if I’m being honest.

Ok, so the one reason you might want to buy this gin has fallen flat. I guess I won’t be spending the money on it in the future when I want to wow people with a cool science trick. But I did promise my wife pretty cocktails tonight so let's make our own, shall we?

As I mentioned above, I’ve known about Butterfly Pea Flower Tea for a while now. In fact, I’ve had some in the house for a little over a year. It’s a cool thing to bring out and wow the nieces and nephews with. And it tastes pretty good too. The one I buy is blue-tee from Wild Hibiscus. I buy it because they are individually sealed and I don’t use it very often.

IMAGE: Wild Hibiscus Blue-Tee Butterfly Pea flower Tea

After that it is time to infuse the gin. Personally, one of my favorites is Beefeater…well, it’s my favorite that I would want to use in an experiment like this. I need about a cup and a half or so and I don’t want to use a more expensive and harder to replace craft-gin, like Castle & Key, for it. I pour the gin in a mason jar and then drop in the teabag. I’m not really worried about the flavor of the tea coming though. Gin already has a lot of botanicals and the butterfly pea flower tea is pretty delicately flavored. After about 5-10 minutes, I get the level of color I’m looking for.

And so, for science, I went ahead and made the same cocktail as above. I think my version turned out a little better. A pretty cocktail for my pretty lady.

IMAGE: Cocktail made with Gin infused with Wild Hibiscus Blue-Tee

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters

November 28, 2019 Eric Burke

IMAGE: A Box and a bottle of Underberg sitting in the fall sunshine

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you are like most Americans, today you overate. You had turkey and stuffing and cranberries and potatoes and gravy and pie and mac and cheese and maybe a little wine. Or maybe you are like me and the only turkey you had was the WIld Turkey that you picked up at the liquor store last night that you sipped while you made a nice lasagna instead of any of the traditional fixings. In any case, there is a high probability that you had more food than was comfortable for you. And it is in the spirit of that overindulgence that I present to you a magical remedy for such a feeling.

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters.

This is a truly magical digestif that really does settle ease the stomach after a good meal. I first learned about it in the book Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons. The book itself is fascinating and I reference it every time I make a new batch of bitters for myself. Anyway, Mr. Parsons lends an entire two page spread to the topic of Underberg. And it was with descriptions like the following, I was immediately intrigued.

The inky elixir within the distinctive straw-paper-shrouded 20-milliliter single-serving bottle isn’t meant to be sipped or added to a cocktail, but instead is designed to be tipped back in one quick shot, either straight from the bottle or poured into an ornate drinking vessel designed specifically for this purpose. (Parsons, B. T. (2011). Bitters: a spirited history of a classic cure-all, with cocktails, recipes, and formulas. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. p 98-99.)

It wasn’t until I stopped at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Bloomington, IL on my way back from Kentucky that I finally found the stuff in the wild. One taste and I was hooked. The flavor was unlike anything I’d had before. And true to its promise, having one after a meal became my favorite way to help settle a too-full belly.

But it wasn’t long before I thought to myself: “I know this isn’t marketed as a cocktail ingredient, but it could be used that way, right?” And so I set upon the googles to see if I could find myself a recipe that satisfied my curiosity. A site called the Humble Garnish posted the following article: Underberg – The Unusual German Bitters and 7 Cocktails to Use It In which featured the following cocktail recipe:

IMAGE: The Influence cocktail from theHumbleGarnish.com

As a fan of Underberg, I thought the cocktail was great. It really showcased the Underberg. IT was very bitter and had a ton of baking spices. The drink was a bit mouth-numbing. I have to say though that this is the type of drink that I would find fascinating in a craft cocktail bar, but it left a little to be desired at home. I guess it just needs a bit of ambiance.

After I tried that, I decided to just swap it for the Angustora in an old fashioned. There, it worked great. I’d recommend going a bit heavier than usual on the simple syrup and I liked bourbon more than rye. But with that in mind, I thought it was great. I really liked it.

That said, the best use is probably the original. Throw it back as a shot after a good meal and welcome the peace it brings to both the mind and the belly.

Wondering what it tastes like?

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters

Purchase Info: $5.99 for a 3-pack of 20ml bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN or $24.50 for a 15-pack on Amazon.

Details: 44% ABV

Nose: Menthol, anise, clove

Mouth: Licorice, cinnamon, menthol

Finish: Cinnamon, cloves, mint, lingering warm

Thoughts. I really like this. I usually buy it as a 15-pack from Amazon. Minty and warm. Lots of spices. It works great after a big meal. And being as it is Thanksgiving, we can all probably use that.

BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products and bourbon-related craft supplies I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visit BourbonGuyGifts.com. And hey, if you are an iOS user, look for Bourbon Guy in Apple News. Thanks!

Blog

Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup

Lyre's American Malt

Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative

Manhattan:

Sour:

Ginger Ale Highball:

Thoughts:

Cheese Bros. Bourbon Gouda

Copper & Kings "Floodwall" Apple Brandy

Chateau de Laubade Vintage Collection

Bas Armagnac Laubade 2000

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1998

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1995

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1988

Bas Armagnac Laubade 1979

Rankings

Final Thoughts

Empress 1908 Gin

Underberg Natural Herb Bitters