Recipes from Union's mixologist

Featured Brand - Maker's Mark

Your guests don’t have to travel all the way to Loretto, Kentucky to try some of Maker’s Mark signature cocktails. Give them that same experience at your venue with these delicious Maker’s Mark cocktails, curated by Unions Mixologist. 

Maker's Mark Manhattan

This simple yet flavorful cocktail is said to have first been served at the Manhattan Club. Like many stories involving whisky, its history is a bit cloudy but one thing is clear, the Manhattanite who first concocted this cocktail created a classic with true staying power.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts – Maker’s Mark 

  • 1 part – Sweet vermouth

  • 2 dashes – Angostura Aromatic bitters
  • Cheery for garnish

Directions:

  1. Combine ingredients over ice in a mixing glass
  2. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, neat or on the rocks
  3. Garnish with a cherry

Cocktail Tips:

  • The <15% rule – Spirits that are 15% alcohol or less should generally be refrigerated. An opened bottle of vermouth will stay fresh in your fridge for three months.
  • A little bitter – Bitters are essentially the seasoning of a cocktail. Give your drink a taste without them and then add sparingly until it’s perfectly to your liking.
  • Hurry up and chill – Forget to chill your glass? Before you prepare the drink, fill your glass with ice and water and put it in the freezer. When the drink is ready, your glass will be, too.
  • Shake vs stir -Cocktails made mostly of spirits like this one generally look and taste better when stirred. Drinks with fruit juice, dairy or egg white should be given your best shake.

Bourbon Spritz

Our riff on the Aperol Spritz blows the 1950s European summer staple out of the water. While 2018 may have been the Summer of the Spritz, this season it’s all about variations like the Bourbon Spritz, with the signature caramel notes of Maker’s Mark® adding a new layer of excitement.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 part – Maker’s Mark Bourbon

  • 1 part – Aperol aperitif

  • 3/4 parts – Freshly squeezed lemon juice 
  • Splash of simple syrup
  • Prosecco
  • Orange peel

Directions:

  1. Fill a wine glass with ice and layer Maker’s Mark, Aperol, lemon juice, and syrup
  2. Top with Prosecco and garnish with an orange peel

Cocktail Tips:

  • The <15% rule – Spirits that are 15% alcohol or less should generally be refrigerated. An opened bottle of vermouth will stay fresh in your fridge for three months.
  • Sweeten the deal – Simple syrup lives up to its name and can be made easily at home. Just dissolve a 1:1 (or 2:1) ratio of sugar and water on the stove and let it cool.
  • Better bubbles – When you use sparkling ingredients like Prosecco, employ minimal stirring for more fizz. For what should be obvious reasons, never add carbonated soda or sparkling wine to a shaker.

Kentucky Mule

The Kentucky Mule is a pairing as easy to drink as it is to make. The spice of ginger beer compliments the caramel notes of Maker’s Mark® to make a wholly American cocktail inspired by a vodka classic.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 part – Maker’s Mark Bourbon

  • 1/2 part – Fresh lime juice 

  • 4 muddled pieces of fresh fruit or a squeeze of puree*
  • Dash of Angostura Aromatic bitters
  • Cold ginger beer

Directions:

  1. Muddle your fruit in a shaker
  2. Add Maker’s Mark, lime and bitters
  3. Shake and strain into a glass with ice
  4. Top with ginger beer
  5. Garnish with fruit of your choice

Cocktail Tips:

  • Cool in copper – Like Juleps and other cocktails, the vessel a Mule is served in can enhance the experience. Copper mule cups get extra cold with ice, and the handle helps keep them that way.
  • Sugar & spice – Ginger syrup is simple to make and adds some nice spice. Boil a 2:2:1 ratio of water to sugar to grated ginger. Let it cool for an hour, strain, and stir in a splash into the finished cocktail.
  • Sear-iously good – Searing wheels of lime, lemon or orange creates exceptional garnishes that add both aesthetic appeal and caramelized aromas to your drink.

Old Fashioned

During its dawn, the Old Fashioned was considered a morning drink and was originally referred to as the “whisky cocktail”. The renaming is said to have occurred at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, where the Old Fashioned remains that city’s official cocktail.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts – Maker’s Mark Bourbon

  • 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic bitters

  • 1 teaspoon raw cane sugar 
  • Orange peel

Directions:

  1. Dissolve or muddle sugar with bitters and a splash of Maker’s in an Old Fashioned glass
  2. Fill glass 3/4 full of ice
  3. Add Maker’s Mark and stir
  4. Express orange peel over your glass to release citrus oils
  5. Garnish with orange peel

Cocktail Tips:

  • Do the twist – Twist orange peel directly over your serving glass to express the oils and add a fresh essence and pleasing aroma to the drink.
  • A little bitter – With bitters, a little bit goes a long way. Two or three drops will add much depth to your Old Fashioned.
  • The big chill – Large ice cubes or an ice ball are more than just cool to look at. Large ice melts slower, allowing the flavors to stand up longer.
  • Sugar, sugar – Adding a teaspoon of raw cane sugar (such as Demerara), rather than a refined white sugar, will give your Old Fashioned a richer flavor.

     

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