Part One:
Last night I attended a whiskey knowledge class in San Francisco at a fantastic speakeasy themed bar called Bourbon and Branch. If you don't know of this establishment, please check it out. But don't tell them I sent you, because they probably wouldn't let you in.
Allow me to explain.
Yesterday was an exciting day. My amazing friend Carmelita was coming into town to attend this class with me. My other amazing friend Anjanette was meeting up with us before the class for a drink. I was super excited to see my girls, the energy in the city is so vivacious, and I was had heels on. I got a little carried away. I had three whiskey drinks before the class.
Thats right. Three.
A Sazerac, a Basil Hayden neat, and a whiskey sour made with Bulleit Bourbon. What was I thinking?
Fast forward. We leave the restaurant to make our way to BB, and you know what, I'm feeling fine. Walking, talking...the whole nine yards. Get into the bar, which again is amazing. The hostess walks us to a private bar room in the back and there is a wall of spirits behind the bar that is nothing short of gorgeous, the light hitting the bottles making them glint like jewels.
As the instructor walked us through how to make an old fashioned, I felt a little bit tipsy. After I consumed said old-fashioned it was game on. I would not stop asking questions. And my fellow whiskey enthusiasts did not appreciate my inquisitive nature. And then this dialog took place:
Jenn: "Lita, I have to go to sleep. We gotta go"
Lita: "Are you serious? Its only 9:15! Suck it up, drink some water."
A few minutes later, as told by Lita, the room got really quiet and everyone started looking around. Your truly was asleep at her table, face on the wood totally in la-la land.
Damn. My whiskey prowess was lacking last night for sure. Basically the lesson here my friends is that you definitely do not show up to a whiskey tasting already with three whiskeys under your belt. Bad idea folks. Bad. Idea.
When I awoke this morning, curled up in a ball on Lita's couch still donning my sweater dress from the nights adventures my skin and breath was hot from the nights whiskey. A bottle of water never tasted soooooo good.
Part two:
But all was not lost. I learned to make an amazing old fashioned:
1 sugar cube
2 oz of whiskey (we used Knob Creek, I would probably use Makers Mark)
3 healthy sprinklings of aromatic bitters
lemon zest
Ice
1. In a glass put the sugar cube and the bitters. Muddle them together.
2. Put ice in glass
3. Add whiskey and stir
4. Twist the lemon zest over the glass
This drink was awesome! Now, this was the drink that put me over the edge, but I will forgive that transgression. The bitters smell a lot like jager and at first I didn't think I would enjoy having this in my drink. However, it adds such a great layer to the flavor and compliments the sharpness of the whiskey. The lemon zest was a fabulous touch as well, making the upfront aroma fresh and light. This is a heavy on the palate drink, you really feel the weight of this on your tongue. The finish is quite sugary in texture but not overly sweet.
So, my whiskey adventure continues. Hopefully I will stay awake for the next chapter.
Cheers,
Jennifer
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