You now know how to drink whisky and have mastered the art of drinking it neat. Now it’s time for classic whisky cocktails.
But now we have the controversy of cocktails. Cocktails are so hot right now and whisky purists will say that quality whisky is best enjoyed neat or with the tiniest bit of water.
Why do we need to argue? It’s great both ways.
Today we’re continuing the conversation with Canadian Club 100% rye – a Canadian product (yay!) that is distilled and aged at a single distillery in Alberta. Canadian Club 100% rye makes really great cocktails, it is aged in charred white oak barrels which creates a complex, smooth flavour with toffee and toasted undertones.
How to Make Classic Whisky Cocktails
But first…How to Make a Simple Syrup
Many classic whisky cocktails include simple syrup. Making a syrup just for cocktails sounds complicated but it’s really simple…hence the term simple syrup. Over medium-low heat put equal parts of water and white sugar into a saucepan and stir. Once the sugar has dissolved into the water remove from the heat and let cool. Voila!
The Manhattan Cocktail
The Manhattan is one of five cocktails named for the five boroughs in New York, but no one seems to know much about the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island or Queens cocktail. Maybe the popularity was that it gives a reason to eat a maraschino cherry as there’s not many reasons in life unless you’re eating Christmas cherry balls or for some strange reason drinking a Shirley Temple.
The Manhattan is flexible. You can have it stirred and strained into a cocktail glass with a Maraschino cherry or if you want to be less dainty, it works well on ice in a low ball glass. Serve straight or on the rocks.
The following is a dry rye manhattan, this recipe and others are on the Canadian Club site.
2 oz Canadian Club Chairman’s Select™ 100% Rye
1 oz dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash simple syrup
lemon peel
Zest lemon peel over rim of glass.
Old Fashioned Cocktail
Every reference to the invention of this cocktail is that legend says it was created at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. I’m immediately suspicious of this as it implies that no one truly believes this. It’s traditionally served in a short tumbler glass, which is often called an Old Fashioned glass.
2 dashes Angostura butters
1 tsp simple syrup
2.5 oz Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
2-3 ice cubes
orange peel to garnish
Combine first 4 ingredients, stirring thoroughly. Squeeze orange peel to release orange zest oil and drop into drink.
The Mint Julep
The very idea of the mint julep conjures up images of the Old South. Perhaps this is because the mint julep is the cocktail of the Kentucky Derby where over 120,000 mint julep cocktails are consumed each year. It’s often served in high ball glass or a sterling and pewter julep cup, which is similar to the Moscow Mule copper mug.
3 sprigs of fresh mint
3 tbsp simple syrup
2oz Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
crushed ice
Muddle the 1 sprig mint along with the Canadian Club and simple syrup. Strain into glass, add crushed ice and garnish with mint.
Hot Toddy
There’s nothing like a warm drink in cold weather. Although this classic whisky cocktail wasn’t always a warm drink. Invented in the mid-1800s a toddy was any choice of spirits, water and honey that would cure whatever ailed you.
Today it’s almost always served warm and while it’s questionable whether it will help your cold you can guarantee it will warm you up. The only thing that could make a classic hot toddy better would be the addition of spice like a dash of sriracha or gochujang.
2oz Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
2 tsp honey
1 cloves
dash of freshly ground nutmeg
1 slice lemon to garnish
Place ingredients in mug and pour in hot water. Stir to combine.
Whiskey Sour
The whisky sour is similar to the pisco sour recipe, replacing pisco with whisky. It also includes frothy raw egg white, which makes some people uncomfortable. I served many pisco sours working at a hostel bar in Cuzco and no one had any issues. The key is to use fresh, quality eggs. That said if you are hesitant to incorporate raw egg it’s perfectly fine to omit it.
2 oz Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp simple syrup
1 egg white
Shake all ingredients vigorously, which will froth the egg white. Pour into your favourite glass. It’s traditionally served in a low ball glass but I think the frothiness and maraschino lends itself to a more elegant glass.
Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye Prize Pack
Tis the season for sharing! Canadian Club has generously provided is a mixology kit complete with Angostura bitters, cocktail shaker, rocks glasses and an LCBO gift card to start creating CC classic whisky cocktails at home, or taste the 100% Rye on its own.
Just leave a comment with your favourite whisky cocktails. The winner will be drawn at random from the comments below on January 21, 2017. You must be legal drinking age and a Canadian resident.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Canadian Club, they did not request that we write about classic whisky cocktails, only to share what we thought readers would be most interested in – and with this colder weather we know many have cocktails on their minds.
5 Classic Whisky Cocktails Every Adult Should Know is a post from: Bacon is Magic