Bourbon makes its mark » Naples Daily News on Astini News
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The Grill Room at the Ritz Carlton Beach Resort offers an impressive Old Rip Van Winkle lineup. They have the Rip Van Winkle 10 year, the Van Winkle 12 year, and the Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20 and 23 years.
The rich history of this much contended cocktail dates to the late 1800s at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Ky. The bartender dissolved a bit of sugar with water, added a dash of Angostura bitters, a shot of whiskey and a lump of ice. He topped it with a lemon peel, and the first cocktail, the old fashioned, of course, was born. The funny thing is, up to this point in history, a "cocktail" was any spirit mixed with sugar, water and bitters. Well, this one seemed to stick, and it picked up an orange and cherry on the way, and even got its own glass.
This recipe is from "The Art of the Bar."
The Old Fashioned
1 sugar cube
1 orange slice (optional)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 to 2 brandied cherries (optional)
1 ½ ounces bourbon
In an old-fashioned glass, muddle the sugar cube with bitters and orange slice and cherries, if using. Add ice, top with the bourbon, and stir to mix.
September calls for celebration. Raise a glass of smooth, amber bourbon because the kids are back in school, the snow birds are still up north, and it's national bourbon heritage month.
Declared a heritage month by the U.S. Senate in 2007, September cements bourbon's place as a homegrown hit. Especially in Kentucky.
Bourbon production began in the 1700s when the first settlers of Kentucky, then a part of Virginia, distilled grains in Bourbon County. But it wasn't until 1789 when a Baptist minister named Elijah Craig accidentally discovered that if he stored his moonshine in charred oak barrels, the resulting liquor was far smoother. An American industry was born, and this whiskey had a name. Bourbon.
In 1964, Congress recognized bourbon as a distinct product of the United States, dubbing it America's "native spirit."
While 95 percent of bourbons come from Kentucky, bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States as long as it follows two basic federal regulations. One, the grain mixture from which the whiskey is distilled must be 51 percent corn. Most bourbon comes out between 65 and 80 percent corn, with the remainder being wheat, rye or malted barley. (By comparison, single malt Scotch whisky uses only malted barley.) Two, after distilling, the bourbon must be stored in charred new oak barrels. It qualifies as straight bourbon whiskey when aged for two or more years.
Enter the small batch and single barrel selections that the industry refers to as super premium, and you're looking at 10, 12, 15 and 23 year-old bourbons. These well-made bourbons offer a generous flavor spectrum of mellow toffee, vanilla and caramel to a spicier, peppery fruitiness, all with a distinct sweetness from the corn.
If you find yourself passing on bourbon, it's worth another glass. The rebirth of the cocktail culture and the interest from a younger market has increasingly put bottles of premium bourbons like Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey and Basil Hayden's behind bars next to the popular, ever-present Maker's Mark and Jim Beam over the last 10 or 15 years.
And we're starting to see a growing selection here in Naples. The Pub at Mercato offers one of the best opportunities to try some different small batch and single barrel bourbons. The list, and even unlisted selection of more than 10 bourbons includes Blanton's single barrel, Basil Hayden's small batch, and the 15 year-old Pappy Van Winkle from the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery that produces some of the highest-regarded and sought-after bourbons.
The Pub offers two ounce pours of their bourbons to sample flavors like oak, leather and apple from the 15 year-old Pappy Van Winkle. I also tried the 128 proof Booker's, a small batch bourbon from the Jim Beam distillery, that boasts one of the strongest proofs from a bourbon.
If you're up for celebrating September, the Pub also offers a bourbon sampler that includes a one ounce pour of three different bourbons for $12. If you're lucky and bartender Zac Young is working, you'll start appreciating bourbon as much as Davie Crockett as Young educates you on bourbon's flavor nuances.
Even more bourbon flows at the Grill Room at the Ritz Carlton Beach Resort, with an impressive Old Rip Van Winkle lineup. They have the Rip Van Winkle 10 year, the Van Winkle 12 year, and the Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20 and 23 years. And it is here where you'll find the best old fashioned cocktail in town, made with the Van Winkle 12 year and topped with an orange slice and luxardo cherries.
So raise your lowball bourbon glass. It's September.
