Looking for a refreshing and unique way to serve a bourbon cocktail at your next get together? Try this recipe for the Kentucky Maid.
My old Kentucky home. Well, for about 7 years anyway. I took away a love of the South (which is why we ended up here in Tennessee) and bourbon.
I was never a hard liquor gal. Red wine was my go-to. Or a beer once in a while. So when we moved to Kentucky I didn’t give much thought to being in the bourbon capital of the world. I was more into the horses.
Fast forward to people coming to visit from other states and me wondering what to do with them. I mean in California it was easy, ya know the usual:
- Disneyland
- Laguna Beach
- Hollywood
- San Diego Zoo
But what was I to do with these people in a state that I didn’t grow up in and had no zoo, beach or amusement park? BOURBON TOUR!
So we went. And it was fun and informative. If you’ve never been on a bourbon tour you’ll be surprised to hear that at the end they give you a “taste” of the product.
I passed. Remember? Not a hard liquor gal.
Larry (real name but I’m not mentioning the distillery) was surprised. He asked “Have you every had bourbon”? I said “I think I tasted it once”. He smirked. I was his sitting duck. He knew. So Larry said “Hang back after the group leaves” so I waved on my guests and wondered what the heck this guy was up to. He grabbed a glass and poured some Sprite in it and then added some bourbon. Handing it to me he stood back, crossed his arms and watched.
I figured I’d be kind and take a sip. Having done so… I finished the entire glass and stared at him in bewilderment. OH MY GOSH THIS IS GREAT! Larry just nodded his head.
Thanks. Larry.
So I’m a red wine AND bourbon gal now. In honor of Kentucky (and Larry) showing me the way to this golden delicious liquor, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite ways of using bourbon. Note I said ONE. Ahem.
Behold the Kentucky Maid. A nod to the Mint Julep but far from being so sweet, the Kentucky Maid uses mint and cucumber to satisfy your taste buds. I like to think the cucumber makes it healthy, but then again, I think too much 🙂
A delicious less sweet take on the classic Mint Julep
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- 5-6 fresh mint leaves
- 6 thin slices of cucumber 3 for garnish & 3 for the shaker
- 1 sprig of mint for garnish
- crushed ice for shaker
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Put lime juice, simple syrup, mint and cucumbers into cocktail shaker. Muddle – don't over do it, just bruise the mint and cukes.
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Add bourbon and crushed ice to shaker. Shake.
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Put fresh ice into your serving glass (I like to use the large ice cubes for serving) and strain out shaker contents into glass.
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Add the 3 thinly sliced cucumber rounds and a sprig of mint.
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Enjoy!
What’s your favorite bourbon drink?
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