BourbonBlog.com’s Tom Fischer travels to Charleston, South Carolina and Peninsula Grill at Planters Inn invites him in for a few Bourbon cocktails. Planter’s Inn has been highly awarded by Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Magazine, and for good reason! Peninsula Grill is known for delicious Bourbon cocktails and Wild Turkey American Honey recipes and Bourbon creations we are sharing with you below.

Bourbon Honey Old-Fashioned

Ingredients:

2 parts Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon
2 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon.
Angostura Bitters
Sugar Cube
Maraschino Cherry
Orange Wedge
Ice

Instructions:

Soak sugar cube with bitter and drop cube in a rocks glass. Add a wedge of orange and maraschino cherry. Muddle fruit into sugar cube. Add both Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and Wild Turkey American Honey to the glass. Finish by filling glass with ice.

Southern Manhattan

Ingredients:

2 parts Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve Bourbon Whiskey
1.25 parts Southern Comfort
Angostura Bitters
Brandy soaked cherry
1 part Sweet Vermouth
Ice

Instructions:

Shake Wild Turkey Russel’s Reserve, Southern Comfort, and Sweet vermouth over ice and strain into martini glass. Add bitters and Brandy Soaked Cherry.

Peninsula Whiskey Sour

Ingredients:

1 part Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1/2 part Disaronno Amaretto
1 Triple sec
1 Sweet and Sour mix
Splash of Sprite
Crushed ice

Instructions:

Add Basil Hayden’s, Disaronno Amaretto, Triple Sec, and Sweet and Sour Mix to a rocks glass half full crushed ice. Top off with splash of Sprite.

Visit the Peninsula Grill for an incredible meal and these delicious drinks when you are in Charleston, South Carolina on
112 North Market Street
Charleston, SC 29401-3157
Tel: (843) 723-0700

BourbonBlog.com's Tom Fischer at Peninsula Grill, Charleston, South Carolina

Special thanks to Peninsula Grill’s Bartender/Mixologist Morgan Cawley and to my Dad for joining me

Popularity: 18% [?]

Wild Turkey Bourbon  Master Distiller Jimmy Russell tells BourbonBlog.com that just because the Kentucky Derby is over doesn’t mean that the flavors of the Southern classic Julep are out for the rest of the season. Russell’s summer recipe, Wild Turkey Mint Tea, and other summer drinks made with Wild Turkey American Honey and Wild Turkey Bourbon below.

The LiberTea

Ingredients (makes 1 large pitcher):
4 cups water
4 cups lemonade
4 black tea bags
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup Wild Turkey Bourbon
1 1/2 cups American Honey

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat; add 4 teabags of black tea. Steep 8 minutes; discard teabags. Add 2 cups cold water and lemonade; transfer to pitcher and chill. Add fresh basil leaves. Using a wooden spoon, crush basil until fragrant. Stir in Wild Turkey Bourbon and American Honey. Serve over ice.

Wild Turkey Mint Tea

Ingredients (makes 1 pitcher):
4 cups water
4 black tea bags
2 tbsp Sugar
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cups Wild Turkey Bourbon
Juice of half lemon
Juice of half lime

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat; add 4 teabags of black tea. Steep 8 minutes; discard teabags. Add 2 cups cold water. Transfer to pitcher and chill. Add fresh mint leaves. Using a wooden spoon, crush mint until fragrant. Stir in Wild Turkey bourbon. Serve over ice.

Wild Turkey Sparkling Tea

Ingredients (makes 1 pitcher):
4 cups water
8 red herbal tea bags (such as lemon zinger or hibiscus)
2 cups Wild Turkey American Honey
Splash of club soda
Juice of one lemon
Cherries for garnish

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat. Add tea bags. Steep 10 minutes; discard tea bags. Add 2 cups cold water to tea. Stir in Wild Turkey American Honey. Transfer to pitcher and chill. Just before serving, add lemon juice and a splash of club soda for a touch of refreshing fizz. Serve over ice.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Sometimes, boys just have to be boys. This beer cocktail/sidecar/deconstructed machination draws influence from a couple of the classic challenging drinks that bartenders make for gregarious bachelor groups.

The Boilermaker involves dropping a shot of choice into a half-filled beer and then drinking it all in one fell swoop. The Red Eye is simply hot sauce poured into a beer. It sits at the bottom of the drink, promising a fiery finish to the libation. Lime dropped in beer is a common addition to any Mexican beer. The ‘Bloody’ class of drinks always involve vodka, tomato, heat and acid Let’s pull them apart, reconfigure them, and voila! The Bloody Eye.

These are two separate drinks, to be enjoyed alongside each other, not mixed. Deconstruction- let the guest do what they want with the components, at their leisure. You should also find the Goya Botanita ‘snack hot-sauce’ at your local Mexican ethnic market. I would avoid trying this with any other brand, as this product has a very specific flavor profile. On the palate, it begins with a predominate lime flavor, followed by tomato and then heat. Also, go get the Crystal Head. Not only does it play well, the skull packaging inspires bravado in testosterone-driven bulls! Any rounded lager would work, I suppose, but a Mexican beer- like Modelo- seems only appropriate. Pure recipe as follows:

In a chilled beer glass: Modelo Especial Beer

For the Sidecar:

1 oz Crystal Head Vodka

1 oz Goya Botanita Snack Hot Sauce

Place in shaker and dry-shake. Serve in a rocks glass, at room temperature.

For the more adventurous, keep some hellfire-level hotsauce on hand (500,000 scoville units and up.) Place on a spoon to serve. For raucous home-entertaining, have the rube place it on the tip of his index finger and lick it. Then the fellas can sit around and wait for him to rub his eyes! Now that, my friends, is The Bloody Eye!

Boys will be boys.

Article written and cocktail created by BourbonBlog.com‘s Beverage Consultant Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison.

Popularity: 14% [?]

As a mixologist, I find myself constantly cross-applying various techniques and applications, attempting to find the absolute right fit for a particular concept. The idea is to use the extracting power of alcohol to pull out the volatile oils found in the skins of whole spices. A form of quick, or tin-infusions. The flavor of the spice can be imparted of a very short period of time- adding depth and complexity with very little effort.

Since most spice-flavors emerge on the finish, this is also a way to add a whole new layer to the cocktail experience. Here, the drink begins sweet, finds it’s spiced rum expression on the palate and then finishes with a flourish of black pepper spice. It might also be noted that some smaller seeds, such as caraway may require the use of a hand-held fine-mesh strainer.

Ingredients:

2 oz Kilo Kai Rum
8 Whole Black Peppercorns
splash High-Proof Rum of choice

Instructions:

Place all into a cobbler shaker (the one with the two-part cap.) Shake well, for 15 seconds. Add ice. Stir until frost forms on the outside of the tin. Strain into a cocktail glass, leaving the peppercorns in the tin. Garnish with an irreverent smile!

Article written and cocktail recipe created by BourbonBlog.com‘s Beverage Consultant Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Canton Meets Caribbean

One of the best places to find new and interesting ingredients is in ethnic markets. What people enjoy daily on one part of the planet is unheard of on the other. In America, we are blessed with a growing number of these groceries. I encourage any bartender to explore these places, as they are a source of not only new products, but of new ideas. As with any pre-batched recipes, adjust these proportions to fit your palate and make this your own signature. Additionally, the use of the lemongrass infuses a back note of the ‘herb.’ To accentuate this effect, you may place it in the microwave for 10 seconds to excite the essential oils found in this hearty plant, or simply use more.

In a pitcher, add:
1 part Margaritaville Spiced Rum
1 part Margaritaville Dark Rum
1 part High-Proof Rum, of Choice
1 part Lychee Puree (see below)
4 parts Pineapple Juice
juice of 2 Limes
1 part Pomegranate Drinking Vinegar
4 dashes Bitters
Splash of Simple Syrup (optional)

Instructions:

Garnish by stirring with lemongrass twig, generously. Ice just before serving, incorporating with lemongrass.

Lychee Puree:

Canned Lychees, packed in simple syrup . Place contents in a blender. Push this through a fine-mesh strainer with a rubber spatula.

Article written and recipe created by BourbonBlog.com‘s Beverage Consultant Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison.

Popularity: 13% [?]

As a Master Sommelier friend put it to me- ‘We are the Coke Generation.’ Inspired by this truth, we set to produce some recipes that appeal to people’s junk-food cravings. Sweet by definition, these should be taken at the end of the meal with (or as) dessert. We at BourbonBlog.com hope you will enjoy these creations as much as we do!

Ice Cream Sandwich
Tastes remarkably close to the original

2 parts Kilo Kai Spiced Rum
1 part Tres Leches Cream Liqueur
Shaved Chocolate Garnish (or chocolate sauce rim or drizzle)

Glass: Cocktail

Place first two in a shaker. Shake until frost forms on the outside. Garnish as directed.

Snickers Bar Cordial being served at the home of Bill Samuels, Jr., President/CEO of Maker's Mark Bourbon

Snickers Bar Cordial
Fat-washing isn’t just for bacon. This Cordial was served at the home of Bill Samuels, Jr., Maker’s Mark Bourbon President/CEO

For the drink:

.7 L Maker’s Mark Bourbon (enjoy the rest responsibly!)
2 King Size Snicker’s Bars

Water to Fill

In a double boiler, melt the snicker’s bars as you would chocolate. Add this to the Maker’s Mark, in a non-reactive container. Cover. Place into freezer and allow to sit for 2 days. Lightly press through a fine sieve with a rubber spatula. Return to the bottle. Fill with water. Store in freezer. Shake well before use.

For the Crema:

1 part Dumante (or Frangelico)
5 parts Heavy Cream

Just prior to serving place both into a bowl and whisk aggressively, until a foam develops. Spoon this foam over the drink.

Glass: Cordial

Playfully Interactive, the more they stir, the fruitier it becomes

Frozen Fruit Pop Cooler

1 Frozen Fruit Bar of Choice (we got ours at a Latin grocery store)
1.25 oz Right Gin (chosen for its elegant expression of juniper)

Glass: Highball

Place gin in glass and stir with pop until the pop melts to the waterline. Gently use your (washed) fingers to push the pop down to the end of the stick. Serve with a giggle and wry smile.

Article written and cocktail recipe created by BourbonBlog.com’s Beverage Consultant Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell

Jimmy Russell, Master Distiller of Wild Turkey Bourbon has over 56 years in the Bourbon industry. The julep has been the classic beverage of the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century. The higher proof of Wild Turkey 101 produces a richer, deeper and fuller taste, making it a bigger, better tasting mint julep.

With 56 Derbies under his belt, Russell’s julep has been precisely refined. As they say, practice makes perfect.

Here’s Jimmy’s julep recipe.

THE 56 JULEP
2.5 oz. Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon
3 sprigs of mint (six to eight mature-sized leaves)
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
.5 cup crushed ice
In a traditional silver julep cup or double-old fashioned glass, muddle two sprigs of mint with the brown sugar and one ounce of Wild Turkey 101 for a few minutes, crushing the mint leaves with a spoon. Add the crushed ice, the remaining bourbon, and garnish with sprig of mint. Enjoy!

Popularity: 13% [?]

For Kentuckians, the first Saturday in May is a celebration not only of horses, but of identity. Gatherings of ‘kith and kin’ form across the state and we are reminded of our land, heritage and yes, our bourbon. The recognized drink of the day is the mint julep, which in itself traditionally used the first blooms of this hearty plant to usher in the spring. BourbonBlog.com offers a fun alternative to this classic that you can make, using seasonal ingredients and very host-friendly.

The following is a recipe that is meant to be made by the pitcher, so that you can enjoy the day with your guests. Food-grade essential oils can be found at your local new-age shop and pack a lot of punch in very small proportions. As with all ‘pre-batch’ cocktails, you also can adjust the proportions to fit your own palate, so we encourage you to play with our base recipe as you seem fit.

Derby Party Strawberry Lavender Punch
In a 2 quart pitcher:

¼ bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
Strawberry Simple Syrup, to taste
Juice of 2 lemons
8 ozs Soda Water
1 drop of Lavender Essential Oil

Combine all, and serve ice to the side (the pitcher will become watered-down over time!)

Strawberry Simple Syrup:

1 quart Strawberries, whole
1 quart water
approximately 2 cups sugar

Bring water and strawberries to boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and filter out the strawberries in a civ or mesh strainer. Return to the stove and add sugar , stirring until dissolved.

Article written and cocktail recipe created by BourbonBlog.com’s Beverage Consultant Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison.

Popularity: 13% [?]