Wondering how to master the art of making chai simple syrup at home? This guide provides a simple approach to infusing the classic chai spices into a versatile syrup. Use it to add a cozy warmth to your beverages or as a creative twist in your baking. With its rich blend of spices and sweet undertones, chai simple syrup brings a warm, comforting twist to your favorite drinks. Whether you’re a seasoned mixologist or just starting to explore the world of homemade syrups, this recipe is your ticket to elevating your cocktail game. Let’s brew some magic together and dive into the heartwarming wor ..read more

Whiskey Maple Sour A rich sip of this maple whiskey sour embraces the flavors of fall without succumbing to the lure of pumpkin spice everything. And with a hint of cinnamon syrup added, it’s ripe for batching for Halloween and Thanksgiving gatherings. This recipe includes egg whites or aquafaba, but they are optional. They do add that beautiful head of foam onto the top of the coupe, though. (Post may contain affiliate links.) What’s in a Whiskey Sour? Whiskey Maple Sour Whiskey sours in their most basic form have only three ingredients – whiskey, a citrus element and sugar elements. The prim ..read more

As a Kentucky native, fall is made for college football and tailgate cocktails so I give you the Kentucky Ranch Water. Because we don’t have a professional football team, Kentuckians get to choose if their football love is the University of Louisville (Go Cards!) or the University of Kentucky (Go Big Blue). Me, I’d rather just sip cocktails. Call me agnostic. This simple and fast tailgate cocktail is one that I suggest to everyone – it’s fast, has just three ingredients, and is easily portable in a cooler to your game or your fall firepit. What’s Ranch Water? Ranch water has made the rounds o ..read more

Raspberry Gin and Sorbet Cocktail It might be under a hundred today, but in the summer, I still want a cold and refreshing cocktail to sate my thirst, and this Gin Sorbet Cocktail ticks all the boxes. It’s easy to make, delicious to drink, and fancy enough that you can dress it up with a few simple garnishes to celebrate a summer win, or simply the arrival of the weekend.  (Post may contain affiliate links.) About the Gin and Sorbet Cocktail One of my perfect summer cocktails to riff on is a sour. In this case, we take a basic gin sour or gimlet recipe and dress it up with a small scoop o ..read more

Mint Julep Milkshake Juleps can be polarizing to whiskey fans, but if you’re dealing with people with a sweet tooth, skip the traditional and make them this Mint Julep Milkshake instead. Whether you’ve spent the day at the track or just partied your way through local Derby parties, you might need a sweet, decadent dessert cocktail to top off the day and celebrate your wins. This boozy, julep-inspired boozy milkshake will be your go to after the track!  (Post may contain affiliate links.) What’s in a Mint Julep Milkshake? Mint Julep Milkshake While a Mint Julep is made with just whiskey, s ..read more

This Peeps cocktail is in no way a serious drink. It is not high-faultin’. It is not something that will be a daily drinker. However, it is fun. And anytime you serve someone a cocktail with a Peep garnish. You will win the day. Promise. Kentucky Straight Peeps Peeps Cocktail – an Easter Mimosa My brother-in-law LOVES peeps. But he doesn’t like fresh ones. In fact, he loves them after they’ve aged about 2 years. So each year, he gets a few packages, pokes a few holes in them, and put them in a cupboard. For two years. He loves them dried and crunchy. When he mentioned this to me I told him he ..read more

Earlier this week I taught a class on Milk Street virtual classes on Bourbon Basics and batching summer cocktails. While I’m working on the details getting a link to those of you want to get access to the class, I wanted to put together a post for you all on some of the templates and recipes I used. Unlike my longer posts that will go into detail on each and every little thing, here I’m going to reference a few other posts that already have this information in it, or expand on it in ways to make it easier to do at home. How to Use this Guide For each of these cocktails below, I’ll go through ..read more

Nothing’s better than a cold bourbon slushie on a hot summer day, and making a batched bourbon slushie means you can just scoop and serve cocktails to keep guests refreshed and happy at your soiree. While I occasionally make bourbon slushies in batches of two, I usually increase the ingredients to make a larger batch so I can keep some on hand for hot afternoons with friends.  The great thing about this cocktail is that you can make it days or weeks in advance and it keeps frozen in the fridge. Add a quick lemon twist or an edible flower to garnish when you serve and you come across as t ..read more

Old Fashioned Cocktail Clear ice looks lovely in a whiskey cocktail but tempering ice is critical to keeping that look. Especially when it’s one large cube reflecting that beautiful amber liquid. If you’ve never made clear ice at home it’s not complicated. Here’s a link I use when I make my own. Note that using distilled water or boiling it first doesn’t really help much. The trick is to use directional freezing. Summer is the perfect time to practice your ice skills. Even a hard-core neat whiskey-drinker will often prefer a pour over ice once the weather gets hot enough. (Post ..read more

Bourbon Lemonade How to make Bourbon Lemonade in 30 seconds or less! Don’t put your bourbon and whiskey away for the summer! The most refreshing of all summer cocktails, the Whiskey Sour, is a perfect addition to your summer cocktail list, and an even easier riff, the Bourbon Lemonade, can be a simple 2 or 3 ingredient cocktail.  I’m a huge fan of Bourbon Lemonade in the summer, especially when I’ve got a group coming over and need a pitcher of cocktails to serve up that are light and refreshing. These cocktails are notorious for converting non-whiskey drinkers to the bourbon cause ..read more