Christmas Bourbon Cocktail Review

The truth is that I don't drink that much. Hardly ever at home. Hardly ever in Kansas City, unless Niraj is visiting. I'll have a few drinks on a vacation or a work trip. 

But I do look forward to my Christmas Bourbon Cream every holiday season. This year, it occurred to me as I was opening a new bottle of Maker's Mark, that I could do a little bourbon cocktail review, kind of how I did with rare sodas this year. It would let me figure out what drinks I actually prefer. Plus, it would give me an excuse to try to take some good photos.

Ginger Bourbon

bourbon

ginger ale

I'm starting with the simplest one. No garnishes or methods. This one was Maker's Mark and Canada Dry Zero Sugar Ginger Ale, on the rocks. A classic for a reason. The two flavors go so good together, much better than bourbon and coke. Fresh, crisp. The carbonation is a plus for me. 

Rating: 9.5

Bourbon Limeade

bourbon

limeade

lime wedge garnish

So this one was fine. Good. But I was missing the carbonation. Just not as crisp as the one with ginger ale. 

Rating: 8.4

Kentucky Mule

bourbon

ginger ale

fresh lime juice

lime wedge garnish

I was so excited for this one. It's basically the Ginger Bourbon plus lime, which is one of my favorite flavors. So I was shocked that this one didn't work. The fresh lime juice felt sour, not in a good way, and overpowered the ginger ale. I even like Moscow Mules, but this one didn't hit right.

Rating: 6.5

Bourbon Sidecar

bourbon 

grand mariner

fresh lime juice

fresh orange juice

splash of ginger ale

I wasn't sure if this was going to work at all. I started with the bourbon, grand mariner, squeezes of lime, squeezes of orange and tasted it. Was okay, a bit strong, and missing something. So I just added a splash of ginger ale. Just a little, I didn't want to overpower the other ingredients. And it worked. It's pretty nice. The hints of orange play nice with the liquor and there's not too much lime or ginger to be dominant. Pleasingly balanced. (Though more ingredients than the others. Probably going to be a while before I revisit this one.)

Rating: 8.8

So what did I learn? Somehow the best drink is also the simplest. All I need for a good cocktail is a good ginger ale and a good bourbon like Buffalo Trace or Maker's Mark.