During the winter I frequently enjoy a nice scotch to close out an evening. It’s an indoor drink that provides the proper warmth (physically and emotionally). As the weather improves I usually kick off the spring drinking season with Gin Weekend. Then eventually gracing the sweltering heat of summer with tequila. But as September comes and brings a nip to the air, it’s time again to meet bourbon’s sweet embrace. If you grew up going to football games in the South then you recognized the smell of bourbon before you even knew what liquor was. I remember being completely confused as to why people were putting the end of their spirit shakers in their souvenir cokes and mixing them. Even for the biggest beer drinker, bourbon become a necessity during tailgating season. It’s a lot easier to sneak a couple of miniatures into the game than trying to conceal a six pack of cold ones.
With all of these autumn induced feelings about bourbon swirling through my head, it’s with great pleasure that I’ll be attending the Buffalo Trace Distillery’s White Dog Days Celebration this weekend, Oct 15-17th, in Frankfort and Lexington, Kentucky. On Friday, Buffalo Trace is sponsoring the Franklin County Stakes race at Keeneland race track in Lexington. On Saturday, Buffalo Trace is opening their distillery in Franklin up for a day of music, tours, Bourbon Boot camp, and corn hole and barrel rolling contests.
As every avid drinker is advised to slow their brown liquor roll during summer, so does Buffalo Trace, who does not distill during the summer. White Dog Days is the kickoff to the new distillation season. White Dog itself is the name Buffalo Trace has given to the clear distillate that is made before it’s placed in barrels for aging to create bourbon. They have decided to bottle a small batch of White Dog, which can be purchased from their gift shop. One should note that White Dog is “not a sipping drink” since it’s essentially moonshine. So yes, I’m going to Kentucky this weekend to drink bourbon, moonshine, and bet on the ponies. If you are anywhere within driving distance you should take part in the festivities. If you can’t make it by, look up the closest retailer of Buffalo Trace Bourbon to you and give it a try tailgating this weekend.
Tagged as:
bourbon,
Buffalo Trace,
drinking,
kentucky,
whiskey,
White Dog Days
Well I’d have to say that the recipe for Hop Skip and Go Naked might just be the only manly punch I’ve ever come across. If it has beer and whiskey that’s acceptable to drink right? Seems like a good drink alternative for an early morning tailgate or a sweltering 90° afternoon in Aug/September.
Ingredients:
Six 12-oz. cans of beer
1 pint of Canadian whiskey
One 12-oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate
2 liters of lemon-lime soda
Preparation:
1. In a gallon container add beer, whiskey and frozen lemonade (and optional lemon-lime soda).
2. Stir and serve over ice.
Tagged as:
drink recipes,
punch,
whiskey
The Delightful Delicacy brings us a recipe for Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. Hopefully you have a wife or girlfriend at your tailgate that you can convince to make these. Thanks to The Grinder for the heads up and funny commentary on Notre Dame:
“Now, obviously, the violent history of the Irish Republican Army isn’t something to joke about. I was at a college bar at Notre Dame the first time I saw a shot of Baileys and Jameson get plunked into a pint of Guinness, which was then sucked down by an Irish-studies student. At the time, I wondered if his heartbreak over the sad history of Northern Ireland was what drove him to chug that spiked pint in one gulp, but I later learned that (a) the drink will curdle if you don’t consume it quickly, and (b) that dude was totally insensitive.”
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
1 cup Guinness
1 stick, plus 1 tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
Cupcake Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350; line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter.
3. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar.
4. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream and the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture.
5. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold in the batter.
6. Pour into muffin molds and bake or 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.
Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Frosting Directions:
1. Put the stick of room-temperature butter in a large mixing bowl and bet at medium-to-high speed for a few minutes.
2. Add a few short glugs of Bailey’s and a tiny bit of Jameson, and mix at low speed.
3. Gradually spoon confectioners’ sugar into the bowl, mixing on low speed.
Tagged as:
beer,
cupcakes,
notre dame,
whiskey
