Cocktails

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Old Fashioned Cocktail

/ / Bourbon, Cocktails, Review /

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Old Fashioned Cocktail
Cocktail Made w/ 6 Year Old Bourbon, Simple Syrup, Bitters and Citrus Expression

37% ABV
$30 / 375 mL (8 pours)
Website
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Old Fashioned Cocktail
We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

READY-TO-SERVE
PREMIUM OLD FASHIONED
Our premium ready-to-serve Old Fashioned is crafted from our double gold winning bourbon and finishes with a tantalizing twist of Seville Orange. Serve chilled or over ice to make any occasion a memorable moment.

“An Old Fashioned is one of the original classic bourbon cocktails,” said Chris Fredrickson, Co-founder, Traverse City Whiskey Co. “Our delicious and convenient ready-to-serve Old Fashioned cocktails are hand crafted and ready to pour. They’re a welcomed addition to our portfolio of whiskey offerings.”

Known as the “Whiskey of the North,” TCWC draws upon its early family roots in the distilled spirits industry dating back to the late 1800’s, sourcing all its grains (corn, rye, and malted barley) from the Midwest. Led by Chris Fredrickson, the distilling team strives to make quality products, inspired by patented distilling techniques invented by Fredrickson’s great grandfather that were approved by the US PTO during the prohibition era.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Orange zest, bitters, bourbon (like, an Old Fashioned!).
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, syrupy, solid Old Fashioned with a good bourbon base of caramel and vanilla, loads of bitters and orange zest.
Finish:  Moderate in length with bitters lingering.
Comments:  I did my first tasting of this neat and at room temperature, and then chilled. It’s much better chilled, and even over one cube if you’re going to sip on it for a bit. Everyone’s taste vary, but for me it was better over ice as the ratio of bitters is a bit more than I prefer. The orange expression is really well done, maybe the best I’ve seen in a bottled cocktail (comes across like freshly expressed orange zest). A well done Old Fashioned, and like the half-bottle size as easy to make room in the fridge!

Rating: Stands Out

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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail

/ / Cocktails, Other Spirits, Review /

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail
Cocktail Made w/ Bourbon, Bitters, Cherries, Simple Syrup and Citrus Expression

27% ABV
$20 / 375 mL (8 pours)
Website
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail
We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

READY-TO-SERVE
CHERRY OLD FASHIONED
It starts with our best-selling cherry whiskey, which is perfectly balanced by homemade bitters and a twist of Seville Orange. Whether you serve it chilled or over ice, it makes the perfect cherry on top of your next celebration.

“An Old Fashioned is one of the original classic bourbon cocktails,” said Chris Fredrickson, Co-founder, Traverse City Whiskey Co. “Our delicious and convenient ready-to-serve Old Fashioned cocktails are hand crafted and ready to pour. They’re a welcomed addition to our portfolio of whiskey offerings.”

Known as the “Whiskey of the North,” TCWC draws upon its early family roots in the distilled spirits industry dating back to the late 1800’s, sourcing all its grains (corn, rye, and malted barley) from the Midwest. Led by Chris Fredrickson, the distilling team strives to make quality products, inspired by patented distilling techniques invented by Fredrickson’s great grandfather that were approved by the US PTO during the prohibition era.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Cherry cough lozenges, hint of floral notes.
Palate: Cherry forward, with bitters, bit of orange; like an Old Fashioned w/ a splash of cherry juice.
Finish:  Moderate in length with cherries.
Comments: Poured in the glass, this is a bit cloudy and less brown than the TCWC Old Fashioned; looks almost like a Rose wine. This is definitely cherry through and through. Full disclosure – I’m not a fan of TCWC’s American Cherry. They sent us a sample back in 2017, and I mainly got cherry cough syrup. This is made using that base spirit, although I like this better than that. If you’ve had and enjoyed their American Cherry, than this might be right in your wheelhouse. I love the bottle, both size and color (easy to fit in the fridge, and the white just looks kinda cool). Like the other, I tried this first neat and then chilled and over ice – but unlike the Old Fashioned Cocktail, I preferred this just chilled without ice. For my palate, I found that ice on the lower ABV just thinned it out too quickly.

Rating: Average

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Bartender’s Handshake Old Fashioned

/ / Cocktails, Other Spirits, Review /

Bartender’s Handshake Old Fashioned

40% ABV
$35
Website*
Bartender's Handshake Old Fashioned
Bartender's Handshake Old Fashioned

What the Bottle Says

Crafted by a Team of Heaven Hill Distillery Experts
Old Fashioned Cocktail Made with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Orange Curacao Barrels
Ready to Drink

We did the work, so you don’t have to. This classic cocktail was crafted using 7 and 8-year-old bourbon finished in Orange Curacao barrels. The bourbon marries with the orange essence of the Curacao for a light, yet elegant orange note. Bitters and sugar are then combined with the aged bourbon to perfectly represent a true old fashioned cocktail

* Linking to the TTB filing only because I could not find any website from Heaven Hill (same with use of TTB images in place of the bottle)

What Gary Says

I picked this up in the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (formerly known as the ‘Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center’) in April 2022.  Honestly, I’m not really into ‘ready to drink/premade cocktails’, but I think highly of Heaven Hill, and with the 7 & 8 year age statements on the back, bottled at 40% – I thought this might be different. I’ve tried some different ‘bottled cocktails’ and thought some were OK, some not so much, and none were as good as I make at home. I was intrigued enough to give this one a shot and bump it up against what I felt was a “standard/typical” Old Fashioned recipe.

It wasn’t really close.

I did this blind, which required closing my eyes because this was so much lighter in the glass than my ‘control/standard’. I didn’t go through and make detailed notes on the nose, palate, etc – because that’s just now how I enjoy a cocktail (and if served one, I’m not going to study it in that manner). I took a quick sniff and sipped. By comparison, I thought this had more bitters both on the palate and in the aroma, and tasted thin. There were orange notes, but at the end of the day – I didn’t really enjoy it, let alone find it to be a close/quick replacement.

What I compared it against as a ‘control/standard’ was this:
2 oz Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
2 tsp (10 gr) simple syrup
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

I mixed this up and poured what would fit into a 2 oz sample bottle, which I put in the fridge (and put in an identical sample bottle some of the Bartender’s Handshake) as I didn’t want ice dilution to be a factor. Granted – this is a higher proof whiskey, but my estimation of adding the 2 tsp of simple syrup is that the end result is around 85-86 proof. I wanted to use a Heaven Hill product to take that out of the equation, and didn’t want to use something that would be considered a more ‘premium’ bourbon (like Elijah Craig at 94 proof would have hit as close to 80 as I was going to get). Honestly, I didn’t work out the math until after the fact, but as it wasn’t even a close race – I’m not going to spend the time diluting the Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond to 94 proof. I don’t think those few proof points made the difference.

I’m curious if the bourbon used in this was ONLY 7 or 8 year old stock, or if they took some 7 & 8 year old bourbon, finished it, and then blended in some younger stock (which technically could be any age since legally this isn’t a ‘whiskey’ but rather filed with the TTB as “WHISKY OLD FASHIONED (48 PROOF UP)”). Or if the whiskey selected was deemed sub-par for bottling in something else, so was used for this? Or if they just threw too much stuff in it? I’m not sure where this went wrong – but even when just sipping by itself (not in a blind side-by-side), I just didn’t enjoy it.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Bulleit Bourbon Cranberry Old Fashioned

/ / Cocktails

Bulleit Bourbon Cranberry Old Fashioned

Bulleit Bourbon Cranberry Old Fashioned
We would like to thank Bulleit and Taylor Strategy for sending us a sample to review.
Bourbon Soaked Cranberries

  • 2 oz dried cranberries
  • 4 oz Bulleit Bourbon
  • 1 cinnamon stick

To make Bourbon Soaked Cranberries, add the cranberries, bourbon, and cinnamon stick to a sealable glass container. Give it a stir and let the mixture sit on the counter for 1 day.
Remove the cinnamon stick and put the bourbon cranberries in the refrigerator. Keep up to 1 month, refrigerated. Makes 6-8 cocktails.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz Bulleit Bourbon
  • 1/2 oz infused Bulleit Bourbon, from the dried cranberries
  • 1 spoonful bourbon soaked cranberries
  • 1-2 strips orange zest
  • 2-3 drops orange bitters
  • 1 tbsp simple syrup, or to taste
  • orange wedges, for garnish
  • ice

Instructions

  1. Fill a glass with ice.
  2. Add the bourbon, infused bourbon, some of the bourbon cranberries, orange zest, orange bitters.
  3. Stir the cocktail and taste.
  4. If needed, add sugar syrup a little at a time until the cocktail is sweetened to your liking.
  5. Garnish with orange wedges.

What Gary Thought: First, I do like how cranberry plays in a whisk(e)y cocktail. I followed the instructions to a T – except not filling my glass with ice (I opted for a few cubes). This was absolutely delicious. I went with maybe a teaspoon of simple syrup, which was the right amount for me (the cran-infused bourbon was plenty sweet). One tip – if you’re making for a party, double or triple the soaked cranberries because these will go quick!

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Jameson Black Barrel and Holiday Cocktails

/ / Cocktails, Irish Whiskey, Review /

Continuing to get into the holiday spirit (get it? Both the whiskey & . . . nevermind), here’s my thoughts on Jameson Black Barrel neat, as well as in two holiday cocktails. We would like to thank Jameson and Ketchum for sending us a sample to review, as well as the cocktail recipes!

Jameson Black Barrel

40% ABV
$35-$40
Website
Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Triple distilled, flame charred, for a rich smooth taste.
Charring is an age-old method for invigorating barrels to intensify the taste. Jameson Black Barrel is our tribute to our coopers, who painstakingly give their bourbon barrels an additional charring to reveal their untold richness and complexity. The select double charred barrels produce a whiskey with even richer flavor and intense smoothness.

Nose: Time spent maturing in these barrels leads to intensified aromas of butterscotch, fudge and creamy toffee.
Taste: Nutty notes are in abundance alongside the smooth sweetness of spice and vanilla.
Finish: Enjoy the richness and intensity of toasted wood and vanilla.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich with vanilla, honey, oak, notes of butterscotch and fudge toffee with an herbal grassy note underneath.
Palate:  Sweet with caramel, vanilla and honey before the spice kicks in with cinnamon, pepper, and charred oak.
Finish:  Moderately long, on the damp side with cinnamon, pepper and caramel trailing.
Comments:  Compared with Jameson’s standard bearer, this packs in more flavor, with more vanilla and spice notes and is a bit sharper (but by no means sharp).  This stays more aligned with Jameson than some of the recent cask finishes we’ve reviewed, and I personally prefer this over those (mainly because I’m not a beer drinker).

Rating: Stands Out

Now onto the cocktails! This first one required a bit of prep work, as I didn’t have cinnamon syrup laying around (and none of my local liquor stores or grocery stores carried it). I used this recipe to make some, cutting it in half (which yielded just over 100 mL of syrup) and using demerara sugar.

Jameson Black Barrel Crimson Cranberry Punch

Jameson Black Barrel makes any holiday party into a true event. Simple enough for any busy host to mix up, the Crimson Cranberry Punch is a bright crowd-pleaser with tastes of lemon, cinnamon, and cranberry.

  • 1.5 parts Jameson Black Barrel
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters per serve
  • 1 part Cranberry Juice
  • 0.5 part Cinnamon Syrup
  • 0.5 part Lemon Juice
  • 0.5 part Club Soda
  1. Combine all ingredients together in a punch bowl (or a glass)
  2. Garnish with lemon wheels, orange wheels, cranberries
  3. Serve in rocks glasses chilled over ice

Jameson Black Barrel Crimson Cranberry Punch

What Gary Thought: I skipped the punch bowl and and just combined the ingredients in a rocks glass, stirred, and added ice.  Of the various cocktails I made this week, this had the strongest ‘holiday vibe’ for me with the cranberry & cinnamon.  The lemon helped cut the sweetness and really balance it out nicely.  This was also my wife’s favorite of the several I made that day (and no, not because we had each drank several prior!)

Jameson Black Barrel Ginger Sparkler

The holidays are here and it’s your time to shine with the Jameson Ginger Sparkler. We’re combining old favorites like ginger and lemon with sparkling wine and Black Barrel for a truly special sip.

  • 1.5 parts Jameson Black Barrel
  • 1.5 parts Lemon juice
  • 1.5 parts simple syrup
  • 1.5 parts Ginger Beer
  • 1.5 parts Sparkling Wine topper
  1. Build all ingredients except for sparkling wine in a shaking tin
  2. Add ice
  3. Shake
  4. Strain as you pour into a highball glass
  5. Top with Sparkling Wine
  6. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a rosemary sprig

Jameson Black Barrel Ginger Sparkler

What Gary Thought: I have to call this out, but if every ingredient in the recipe is in equal measure – you can just refer to them all as ‘1 part’.  And yes, I know that this isn’t a highball glass either (although I’m confident it didn’t impact the flavor).  All that aside, I really enjoyed this fresh take on a whiskey sour.  I did find that the rosemary sprig comes across a bit strong (but I did like the added aroma – I might just dunk a rosemary sprig in for a few seconds before serving instead of using as a garnish).  This had a fresh and refreshing quality that made me think more of summer than the holidays, although if someone was serving these at a holiday party – I wouldn’t turn it down.  I could do without the sparkling wine topper personally, but still enjoyed it as designed.  I used Idris Fiery Ginger Beer for those interested, which I find is nicely balanced.

Cheers!
Gary

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