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This is the first in a series by Zachary Pearson, Kindred Cocktails Editor. Read them all: Bourbon, Bourbon After the Act, Bourbon: What it is ... and isn't, Making Bourbon, Who Makes My Bourbon, Producer Capsules., Finding the Good Stuff, Tasting the Good Stuff, Neat, Mashbills, Geeky Information and Resources.

Bourbon whiskey has a storied, often apocryphal history, with interesting main characters, complex governmental regulations and a variety of subtypes, each with their own flavor profile. I'll tell a bit of this story, along with some tips for finding and recognizing older or important bottles of Bourbon on liquor store shelves. ;

A lot of foundational stories are only to be taken at face value. And yet there’s a deep history of pioneer families who started out making whiskey as part of the homesteading experience and with enough generations, some of their descendants are still manning stills throughout Kentucky.

While the main focus here will be on Kentucky Bourbon whiskey, much of this information applies to other grain whiskies made in other states as well. Delicious rye whiskey abounds, and a few intrepid people make spirits from wheat or other exotic grains.

So pour a glass of the stuff and sip it as you read.

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Recent Additions

Save the Robots — Gin, Cynar, Calvados, Herbal liqueur, Orange bitters
Sun-kissed — Gin, Aperol, Lemon juice, Crème de Pamplemousse, Simple syrup
Ghost Blanket — Melon liqueur, Triple sec, Gin, Celery bitters, Grapefruit bitters, Lemon juice, Orange peel
Lilikoi Rum Punch — Puerto Rican Rum, Bitters, Passion fruit juice, Lime juice, Orange juice, Simple syrup
Espresso Martini (Patrick Smith version) — Vodka, Coffee liqueur, Vanilla liqueur, Espresso, Demerara syrup, Coffee bean

Recent Discussion

Re A Long Day, 1 hour ago Shawn C commented:
Curator note and variation: A user (name inadvertently lost during a merge, my fault) submitted a "T and 3C" variation which is nearly identical in ratios but suggested Cynar 70, with celery bitters in place of the orange/grapefruit bitters, and an olive garnish. I am listing it here so that others can try if interested in a slightly hotter, more vegetal take. 1 oz each Anejo Tequila/Cynar 70/Cocchi di Torino Sweet Vermouth with 1 dash Bitter Truth Celery Bitters and stuffed olive garnish. The 3C's presumably refer to Cynar/Cocchi/Celery.
Re The Crafty and Elusive Elk, 10 hours ago BarJaime commented:
This has become maybe the favorite cocktail served in our bar.
Re Argyle, 1 day ago Shawn C commented:
Curated as authentic recipe. Changed vermouth to the NP Extra Dry (specified in book.) I have added this ingredient to the KC database, probably overdue. A few years ago Noilly Prat discontinued their original dry vermouth in the U.S. and went solely to Extra Dry for this market. However, they are now selling "Original Dry" again in smaller volumes in the U.S. as of ~2021. I came across a bottle last year and snapped it up--it is much better than the extra dry in my opinion. However, the "original" has been slightly reformulated as well. Anyway, I have converted the old catch-all Noilly Prat Dry ingredient to Noilly Prat Original Dry. So if you know which one a drink actually called for, you can specify the correct one in recipes.
Re Dublin in October, 1 day ago Mixin In Ansley commented:
Sweet and a tad too charming/tricked out.
Re Original Word, 2 days ago Shawn C commented:
I am not a fan of the basic Last Word recipe because of how the lime acidity pummels it in the fully equal parts recipe. All Last Word versions improve as they warm, since the acidity mellows and the sweetness begins to balance, and the herbal elements begin to come forward. This version is a refreshingly fruity riff, giving us apple & rhubarb in place of juniper and cherry pit flavors. I used Busnel Calvados and Giffard Rhubarbe.