Celebrating the Fourth of July with a Sazerac Cocktail with Twisted Manzanita Rye Whiskey

The Sazerac Cocktail has its roots all the way back in 1850 and may even be the root of the English word cocktail (the measuring cup that Antoine Peychaud used in New Orleans was called a coquetier).  The original Sazerac was made with Cognac (Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand), but the phylloxera epidemic in the 1870's in France made Cognac less available and in 1873, the Sazerac cocktail was altered to include the use of American Rye Whiskey.


You are going to need a few ingredients for a good Sazerac cocktail.

3 oz Rye Whiskey (I used Twisted Manzanita Rebellious Rye from Santee CA)
1/2 t (a rinse) of Absinthe (I used Wild Card Absinthe from Bend OR)
2-3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
1/2 oz Simple Syrup (traditionally a sugar cube is used and doused with the bitters)
2-3 Luxardo Cherries (not traditional, but they are great cherries)
Meyer Lemon Rind for garnish

-Take a chilled coup or rocks glass and rinse with the absinthe.  Just run it around the inside of the glass and either leave the excess in, or shake it gently off.   My first Sazerac had too much black licorice or fennel character because of how much absinthe I used, so experiment.

-In a shaker with ice, combine the rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters, simple syrup and shake until chilled.

-Strain into the chilled glass, add a few cherries (if you feel like it) and twist your lemon rind over the cocktail to release the essential oils and create a brighter, more fresh tasting cocktail.


This cocktail is generally more dry than a manhattan, but has a more herbal edge than and old fashioned.  You will find many recipes for the Sazerac Cocktail in books and online.  There will be some subtle, and not so subtle variations.  Give it a try your way and just enjoy a refreshing cocktail with a hint of history.

Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey

I've always enjoyed using Rittenhouse Rye whiskey from Heaven Hill in cocktails.  So when I saw that they were resurrecting the Pikesville Rye Whiskey brand I was excited to try it.

Rittenhouse is a 100 proof, four-year aged bottled in bond rye whiskey.  Heaven Hill decided to take this already enjoyable rye, age it another two year and up the proof to 110.  The result is incredible, the successful resurrection of an 1890's northeastern US brand of rye whiskey.  Pikesville sells for about double Rittenhouse.

It falls under what a lot of people refer to as "barely legal rye" with a mash bill of 51% Rye, 39% Corn and 10% Malted Barley.  This shows on the palate with a much heavier, more rounded flavor.


A dark brown amber color.

Medium nose of brown sugar, sweetness, spicy character and a bit of alcohol.

The palate was richer than expected (probably due to the high proportion of corn), but still dry with prevailing flavors of spice, grain and dust, with moderate wood and caramel. Not a ton of fruity or floral characteristics.

The heat leaves quickly and you are left with a long finish of caramel, toffee and a light coffee bitterness.


This is a great rye whiskey to have around to sip neat or even mix into a cocktail.  The Rittenhouse seemed like more of an over ice or mixer whiskey.  The mash bill gives it a more rounded palate and while there are spicy notes, they are not as prevalent as you would find in a high rye or 95% rye whiskey.  It should run between $40-50 depending on where you live.

Alchemy Distillery Boldt White Whiskey

I'm really excited about this review.  Alchemy Distillery is a new, local distiller in my neck of the woods (literally) that has done, and is doing things right.  They have another business and about two and a half years ago started a kickstarter campaign to fulfill their whiskey loving ambitions.  It took them a while to come to market and I think in doing so they set things up in just the right way.  They took their time, going on a distillery tour of the US, purchasing all American made equipment (including a beautiful Vendome copper still), doing all sorts of research and attending distilling classes and conferences.

Their first whiskey release was in March of 2016, nearly two years after their kicktarter concluded.  Like most new distilleries the first product to come off their still was a white whiskey.  It is different in vodka as it has to be distilled to 160 proof or lower.  To be classified as bourbon or American whiskey, it has to enter the barrel at 125 proof or lower.  Some distilleries do water down their whiskey before placing them in barrel (ie: Wild Turkey).  The good news now is that Alchemy Distillery has put away at least one barrel of their wheat whiskey and is looking to do more.

They started by sourcing local Humboldt County grains and distilling them in a 100% varietal mash bill.  This has given birth to their first two releases, a soft white wheat whiskey and a hard red wheat whiskey from Hindley Ranch.  It is bottled at 90 proof.  It was delicious, and immediately drinkable at the 150 or so still proof, but it's hard to sell a white whiskey at that proof.


The soft white wheat is brighter with more tangy, citrus, limestone, chalky notes with an edge of green.

The hard red wheat is wider with notes of grain, dustiness, sweeter, floral edges and just a hint of bitterness.

The hard red wheat gets the edge with my palate in being more whiskey - like while the soft white wheat has more of a kinship with vodka or gin.

Both worked well in a Boldt-Julep with mint, simple syrup, lime and soda water. The neat thing is that you can really taste the whiskey character in the cocktail.

For now they are only available in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

Scuppernong (or Lewis and Co Orange Blossom Tea Jelly) Sour

I recently read the book Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons and, on his incredibly enthusiastic recommendation, bought a bottle of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters. They age their bitters in barrel "until maturity is achieved."  I found a bottle of the 2014 "vintage" on a local store's shelf.  I was looking for something to use these incredibly deep and complex flavorful bitters in when I came across his recipe for a Scuppernong Sour.

This was my first cocktail using raw egg whites.  I don't know why I hadn't tried it before.  There's just an ingrown aversion to using raw or under cooked poultry products that is really drummed into you in America.

Boy am I sad I waited! This drink had such a beautiful, rich mouth feel and a brightness from the citrus and jelly. It's the kind of cocktail that is tough to sip because you just want to down the entire icy cold, smooth and citrusy thing in one drink.

Scuppernong is a variety of Muscadine grape native to the south eastern United States.  I found a suitable substitute in my pantry.


2 T Lewis and Co Orange Blossom Tea Jelly
2 oz Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake the cocktail dry (without ice) to incorporate everything and then add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain through a fine mesh into a coup glass and enjoy.


This was an incredible, eye-opening cocktail that was my introduction to egg white including mixed drinks. Find an appropriate jelly and give it a try yourself.

Evan Williams Single Barrel - Beverage Plus Store Select

I came across this lonely store select Evan William Single Barrel and decided to give it a try. It had been sitting there awhile collecting dust. The beverage manager told me that they have had it in inventory since 2008.  Distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2008, it's a ten year expression of some nice single barrel bourbon.

So when looking at this bottle I did a bit of research. People often characterize the few years after 1996 as the "wilderness years" at Heaven Hill Distillery as they had a fire in November 1996 that destroyed almost their entire facility and aging stock. For years Heaven Hill had their whiskey distilled by other producers such as Brown Forman and Jim Beam.  In 1999 they purchased Bernheim distillery and that facility is where all of the distilling now occurs.  My bottle states that it was distilled in Kentucky and bottled by Evan Williams.

A lot of people said that they didn't enjoy the single barrel selections produced in these years. I'm going to put this one down to a great selection by the folks at Beverage Plus, but I really enjoyed it. If it was 2-3 times more expensive I might have a problem, but this is a real solid bourbon for the price charged.


The color is a medium amber.

The nose is rich and full, with notes of caramel, wood, nutmeg/clove and vanilla creme.

The palate is medium weight, with caramel notes, rich woody/oak notes, a smoothness, light tobacco notes, vanilla and some earthiness. Has some earth and caramel that marries the flavors of Elmer T Lee and Rock Hill Farms, sort of like a junior Blantons.

The finish isn't overly long, with smooth vanilla, sweetness and an edge of wood.


I like the Evan Williams products in general (especially their 100 proof bottled in bond bourbon) and this is a steal in ten year, single barrel bourbon. You might need to try a bottle of something barreled in the late 1990's to see if it's for you, but these guys really chose an excellent barrel.

Grind Espresso Shot, Hangar 1 Vodka, Whites Russians and the Big Lebowski

I like coffee.  In fact, I can't get enough of it in the morning, at mid-day or even in the evening.  Some nights it just seems ideal to grab your favorite Rum and Coffee liqueur, vodka, half and half, a copy of The Big Lebowski and just stay in.

I've always used Kahlua in my White Russians so when I saw the new Grind Espresso Shot on the shelf I had to give it a try.  Kahlua comes in at 40 proof (with a newer 70 proof just released) and Grind is 60 proof.

Grind is Caribbean Rum mixed with Arabica coffee extract and espresso.  I couldn't be happier with how fresh and aromatic this product is.


It smells of fresh ground coffee, vanilla and caramel.

The palate is rich, but not too sweet with notes of fresh ground/brewed coffee, vanilla, chocolate and sugar syrup.

The finish is fairly long with hints of coffee bitterness, mocha and light vanilla.


This really worked well with the high quality Hangar 1 vodka.  Hangar 1 is an interesting vodka because it is crafted using Viognier grapes as well as midwestern wheat.  There are many flavored varieties, which really stand out as compared with more artificially flavored vodka.  Hangar 1 sources fruit in season for their limited edition flavored vodka and infuses it with the vodka base before distilling it.

This is a cocktail that really ties the room together.

John J Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon

I've been eyeing this bottle for a couple of weeks. It's Bourbon, Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey to be exact.

The distillate comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky where it is distilled one or two times (depending on who you read), then shipped to the A Smith Bowman Distillery in Virginia where it is distilled one or two more times (again) to make it to the Triple Distillation proudly stated on the bottle.

The most common thing I've read about it is that it's a Buffalo Trace #2 mash bill which contains 12-15% #rye. Other notable whiskies of this mash bill are Elmer T Lee, Rock Hill Farms and Blanton's (among a couple others).

It's rumored to be aged about ten years and the A Smith Bowman distillery ages their barrels upright, which is a fairly unique and floor space consuming way to age your whiskey. I believe the mash bill rumor as it tastes like the richness of Elmer T Lee and the earthiness of the Rock Hill Farms. It would be nice to get all four out and do a side by side comparison.


The color is darker, mahogany or dark amber.

The nose is appealing with spice, rye grain, caramel, a bit of bubblegum, strawberry, cinnamon, wood/oak, toffee and a light menthol.

The palate is medium plus in weight, dry, but with a sweeter note of grain, dust, earthiness, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar.

The finish is medium length with well-integrated heat, oak, dustiness and a smooth caramel/toffee.


I really enjoyed this bourbon and am glad I gave it a try. Most places it runs right around $50 so it is not an every day sipper. It is worth it if you like richer, smoother whiskey with that dusty, grain like note, or if you are into the three other whiskies listed above.

Broaden your palate and try whiskey from Virginia, New York, Colorado, Indiana and Utah...you will be glad you did.