I’m not likely to have cocktails too often; I’m much more likely to enjoy a dram of whiskey on its own, with a couple drops of water, or, in the case of a bourbon, maybe some ice. There are a few exceptions, though. I do like a Rusty Nail now and then, as well as ... Read More »
Indian Creek Distillery
28 Mar ’15
I grew up in a small town in Ohio. There may not have been lots to do, but we didn’t seem to care. We had a lot of fun, and found our own things to do, like going by the “haunted” barn on Staley Road. The story was that a man caught his wife with ... Read More »
Scotch-Inspired American Whiskeys
15 Mar ’15
In my view of the whisk(e)y world, there’s a pretty general hierarchy of whisk(e)y types: Scotch whisky (And even within Scotch, a hierarchy of Islay, Island, northern Highland, other Highland and Speyside, Campbeltown and Lowlands) American rye whiskey Bourbon Irish whiskey Japanese and other world whiskies trying to mimic Scotch whisky Canadian whiskey Before going ... Read More »
Livefire Thanksgiving Blitz Day 3
24 Nov ’14
Day 3 = Dessert! Or, more specifically, bourbon pecan pie! Yes, you heard me right. Bourbon. Pecans. Pie. All in one bite. This is a great pie, and I encourage you to try it. I get accused of using bourbon too much, but, honestly, the flavor goes so well with so many things. It’s sweet, ... Read More »
Buffalo Trace Distillery Tour
31 Aug ’14
I want to be clear that I still believe that Scotch whisky is the greatest things on the planet. However, Scotland is far away, and bourbon isn’t! At the same time, there’s some pretty good bourbon, too. While Scotch has a really wide band of possible flavors, the corn requirement in bourbon means that the ... Read More »
Whiskey Pickles
20 Jul ’14
No grilling today, but I have wanted to try my hand at something new – pickling! If you’ve read much here, though, you might guess that I’m not just doing regular old pickles. I have had some Brooklyn Brining Company’s whiskey-related pickles, and found a recipe trying to duplicate that on Cupcake Rehab. I had ... Read More »
Perfect Manhattan Milkshake
19 Jul ’14
The other day I grilled some bourbon-soaked bing cherries… and I was glad I did! I still have some, and I think I’ll be preserving some soon, but I thought they’d go well with cocktails in the meantime. What first came to mind was a Perfect Manhattan, which is rye or bourbon, with both sweet ... Read More »
Derby Day Step 3 – The Julep Trials Are Over!
13 Apr ’14
The epitome of Derby libations is, without question, the mint julep. A friend of mine, Christo, recently pointed out to me that the julep can be more than bourbon, sugar, water, mint and ice, though. I looked up the definition of “julep”, and, sure enough, it’s just a drink of sweet syrup, flavoring and water, ... Read More »
Derby Day Step 2 – Trial 2
11 Apr ’14
Day 2 of infusing some bourbon samples with pecans got here, and what did I find? One day of soaking pecan pieces in bourbon seems to be the best amount of time! The upside there is that it doesn’t take long to get really nice pecan flavor in bourbon. Step 3 will be adding some ... Read More »
Derby Day Step 2 – Trial 1
10 Apr ’14
After 1 day of infusing, I tried a mint julep with the bourbon infused with pecans. The julep making is simple: 4-5 mint leaves 1 teaspoon Maguey Sweet Sap or light molasses 2 – 2 1/2 ounces pecan infused bourbon Lots of ice Muddle the leaves in a tall glass, then add the Maguey Sweet ... Read More »
Derby Day Step 1
9 Apr ’14
The Kentucky Derby is coming soon, the greatest two minutes in sports! Some may argue that there are other great two minutes, but the event itself is only two minutes of great horses in the first leg of the Triple Crown. More than that, though, it’s tradition and style and people dressed in outrageous hats, ... Read More »
Livefire Whisky: Blanton’s Bourbon
6 Apr ’14
Welcome to the first Livefire Whisky post as part of Livefire! Instead of 2 different websites, both Livefire’s outdoor cooking and Livefire Whisky are on Livefire! I figured I needed to do something fun for this post, so I got a half-bottle of Blanton’s a couple of weeks ago to try. I’ve had Blanton’s before, ... Read More »