An unexpected surplus of bourbons was delivered to my friends' home in Lyme, New Hampshire, all in service of a piece I'm working on for VMan Magazine. This led to an impromptu and extremely casual tasting session of four bourbons, which I'll be writing about Monday. It also compelled me to make some cocktails with the bounty--after a lengthy swim across Loch Lyme and back we were all a bit knackered and sunburnt and something sweet and revitalizing was called for. I'd intended to make some Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sours but, of course, Meyers have a way of being elusive when you're looking for them. I decided to adapt John Byrd's recipe for the Meyer Sour and simply use some lemons we had on hand, very simple, very classic. The stroke of unintentional genius came when I wondered aloud if there were maraschino cherries in the house or if we'd need to go the store and Sarah suggested using her brandied cherries that she'd made for desert to follow the southern-style meal she was preparing (buttermilk-soaked fried chicken, collard greens, beans and bacon). I tried a sour with a brandied cherry as a garnish and knew we'd hit on something.
The added booziness and sugar of the brandied cherries pushes the equation in a decadent direction--proper Italian luxardo cherries would be great in a sour, but the brandy adds a heady opulence and gives the drink a lovely pink cast. We were all immediately revived and in good cheer. J.R.
BRANDIED CHERRY BOURBON SOUR (Adapted from John Byrd's Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour recipe)
2oz. Basil Hayden's Bourbon
A light .5oz. of simple syrup (the brandied cherries bring plenty of sugar so go easy on the simple.)
Juice of 1 Meyer Lemon
Shake and strain
Garnish with brandied cherry (don't be afraid to throw in some extra juice) & orange slice
BRANDIED CHERRIES:
1 lb. Bing Cherries, pitted
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split in half
1/2 cup brandy
Combine sugar and water in sauce pan. Scrape seeds from vanilla pod into sugar mixture and add pod as well. Bring mixture to a boil. Add cherries and 1/4 cup brandy and simmer for ten minutes. Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and reserve. Simmer liquid in saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 1/2 of a cup. Pour syrup over reserved cherries and let cool. When cherries are cooled, stir in remaining 1/4 cup brandy.
Brandied cherries can be kept covered and refrigerated for several weeks. Flavors will improve with time. Sarah Hodge.
Results of the eratz bourbon tasting next week.
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