How to drink bourbon as a beginner

Originally Posted by IUtoSLU

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Conne's favorite recipe:

Step 1 - pour 1.5 oz of bourbon in a glass
Step 2 - add 5 more oz of bourbon to the same glass
Step 3 - drink
Repeat as necessary.

But seriously, try taking very small sips of it by itself or on the rocks.

+1 nothing better.

Try Buffalo Trace, Basil Haydens, Eagle Creek for sipping. Get something cheap if you are mixing (b/c what's the point?) Jim Beam, Jack, etc. Bourbon + ginger ale (but not vernors b/c that is piss), Old Fashioned, or Manhattan.

+1 on the whiskey stones as well.

Originally Posted by WaterlooMike

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Either in a shaker, or on the rocks (simpler).

A couple of dashes of bitters

1 Pony sweet vermouth

1 Jigger + 1 Pony Makers Mark

Stir (even if you're using a shaker, STIR until ice cold) and strain into a martini glass

, or enjoy on the rocks. I personally avoid the super-sweet cherry as garnish in favor of a frozen blackberry or two. It helps to keep the cocktail cold, and tastes great when you've finished the drink.

This is a Manhattan, FYI.

Actually, a Manhattan is made with Rye - the spiciness of the rye balances well with the sweetness of the vermouth. Using a wheated bourbon like Makers that has no rye content at all makes the drink far too sweet, and much less interesting - kind of one-dimensional. If you must use bourbon, I'd suggest something that has some decent rye content, i.e. Bulleit.

Makers is just fine on the rocks - it's pretty mild and sweet as is, so no need to really doctor it up.

Originally Posted by Kyoung05

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Actually, a Manhattan is made with Rye - the spiciness of the rye balances well with the sweetness of the vermouth. Using a wheated bourbon like Makers that has no rye content at all makes the drink far too sweet, and much less interesting - kind of one-dimensional. If you must use bourbon, I'd suggest something that has some decent rye content, i.e. Bulleit.

Makers is just fine on the rocks - it's pretty mild and sweet as is, so no need to really doctor it up.

The traditional Manhattan is rye, however variations do exist. (I'm Canadian. I grew up believing that rye is the ONLY whiskey, and have had my share of rye manhattans.) I have a number of old timey bartenders guides featuring recipes with bourbon. It's much like a martini can consist of gin or vodka.

As for the flavour profile, to each their own. I happen to like woodford reserve for this cocktail (or neat). He happens to have a bottle of Makers. I maintain he should give this a try, and draw his own conclusions.

Originally Posted by WaterlooMike

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The traditional Manhattan is rye, however variations do exist. (I'm Canadian. I grew up believing that rye is the ONLY whiskey, and have had my share of rye manhattans.) I have a number of old timey bartenders guides featuring recipes with bourbon. It's much like a martini can consist of gin or vodka.


It's not even a martini situation where two entirely different liquors are commonly used- it's just that there are two different types of the same spirit- whiskey that can be used. Hell, some people swear by Canadian whiskey in the drink. Bourbon is absolutely common and accepted. Yes, it was originally made with rye, but it's almost always been made with both, and more commonly with bourbon due to rye's lack of popularity in general.

Originally Posted by IUtoSLU

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Conne's favorite recipe:

Step 1 - pour 1.5 oz of bourbon in a glass
Step 2 - add 5 more oz of bourbon to the same glass
Step 3 - drink
Repeat as necessary.

But seriously, try taking very small sips of it by itself or on the rocks.

this....this. this. this. this.

1.5 oz over ice, splash a little water in there to lengthen the finish, wait about 120 seconds, drink.

Originally Posted by FLMountainMan

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Helicopter parenting FTW.

I think my parents taught me how to drink bourbon, YMMV

Originally Posted by cptjeff

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It's not even a martini situation where two entirely different liquors are commonly used- it's just that there are two different types of the same spirit- whiskey that can be used. Hell, some people swear by Canadian whiskey in the drink. Bourbon is absolutely common and accepted. Yes, it was originally made with rye, but it's almost always been made with both, and more commonly with bourbon due to rye's lack of popularity in general.

I had a very difficult time over New Year's finding a bar in Denver, of all places, that even had rye whiskey. I would have thought it wouldn't be so difficult, but over two days in four really nice bars no one had rye. I was trying to find someone to make a Sazerac, and what was weird was that two of the four bars had Absinthe- cheap Absinthe, but still Absinthe- but no rye.

Anyway, to the OP, I find that a little unchilled water doesn't change the flavor of some bourbons as much as ice does, which I think is good. To me, milder bourbons sometimes don't taste at all like themselves when they get too cooled down.

Originally Posted by ter1413

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These are great questions...."how do I drink booze???"

In my opinion the best way to begin with bourbon is to start with it very diluted. It can seem a bit "hot" until you develop a taste for it. Just try it a few times as a glass of water with the whiskey served on the side. Put the whiskey in the water as a lighter flavoring and learn what the flavor is without the drawbacks of the harshness of the alcohol.

When some appreciation develops you will be drinking it as 2 bourbon - 1 water with a couple of cubes. that is about how I normally eyeball mine into the old fashioned glass. The suggestions for the bourbon and ginger are great. It combines very well, just don't get one of the overly sweet ginger ales. Plain old Schwepps works pretty well for this, IMHO. Easy to keep handy and is a well known great combination. They just go together well such as gin and tonic do.

Makers Mark is OK, but there are quite a few others in this moderate price range that I'd rather have. for something relatively inexpensive, try some Fitzgerald 86 proof or Old Barton. Jim Beam black label is something with a different taste profile. And select bbls of Old Forrester is what Woodford Reserve was first made from when introduced 10 year or so ago.

Once you get to the point where you can identify some of the differences in these then move to some of the high $$$$ stuff with the more varied profiles and more aging. My motto is too Pay Less, Drink More.

Originally Posted by Bhowie

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I think my parents taught me how to drink bourbon, YMMV

My baby bottles still have that delightful aroma.

Originally Posted by sincerity

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have used
http://www.amazon.com/Rocks-Whiskey-...pr_product_top

to help me get used to drinking bourbon or scotch straight...wife bought these for me a while back and never used them. They don't make the drink ice cold, they just chill it slightly. Also remove some of the overpowering aroma and make it smoother going down. I"m not sure if there is a less expensive option or what, but like I say these were a gift and do the job. They don't flavor the liquor at all though which is nice

fuckin love your post rate.

Originally Posted by edinatlanta

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fuckin love your post rate.
my 50th...just for you...

Originally Posted by sincerity

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have used http://www.amazon.com/Rocks-Whiskey-...pr_product_top to help me get used to drinking bourbon or scotch straight...wife bought these for me a while back and never used them. They don't make the drink ice cold, they just chill it slightly. Also remove some of the overpowering aroma and make it smoother going down. I"m not sure if there is a less expensive option or what, but like I say these were a gift and do the job. They don't flavor the liquor at all though which is nice
Now either you have or you haven't used them.

For reasonably large ice cubes, I use this baby food tray:
http://www.amazon.com/Beaba-Multipor...528948&sr=8-20

It works pretty well, and you just get that little bit of water that often causes a drink to bloom a bit without watering it down.