Category: Brandy

Original Recipe by Audra Fullerton, modified by Rye Guy

Tweaked Recipe:

• 3 cups cake flour*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• .5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• .5 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• .25 cup bourbon**
• 1 tbsp bourbon barrel aged maple syrup***

Sugar Syrup:

• 6 tbsp salted butter
• .75 cups granulated sugar
• .25 cups bourbon
• 1.5 tbsp bourbon barrel aged maple syrup

Directions:

• preheat to 350
• generously grease a bundt pan
• whisk dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• cream butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Beat until light and airy.
• in a separate bowl, mix bourbon, buttermilk, and maple syrup.
• begin to incorporate both the buttermilk mixture and the dry mixture in parts, starting with the dry, then buttermilk. Add in three parts each, ending with the buttermilk, but do not over-mix.
• pour batter into your greased bundt pan and bake 40-45 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and a toothpick can pull out mostly clean.
• Sugar glaze: add butter and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat, once the sugar dissolves, add bourbon and stir until incorporated, then remove from the heat. Lastly, add the maple syrup
• Once the cake is finished, set on a wire rack to cool completely. Then flip and remove from the pan.
• Brush the sugar glaze onto the cake until its soaked.

*To subsitute cake flour: for every one cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of cornstarch.

**The choice of bourbon for this recipe is imperative. A rye or any variation can’t really do, since the sweetness of the bourbon will be the main flavor. I chose Bib & Tucker 6 year, a high corn mash ($54.95), since it has buttery texture and chestnut notes to it. Anything with a strong flavors will be a champion for this recipe, like Blade and Bow ($49.95- a little spicier, but with notes of honey and vanilla), or Buffalo Trace ($29.95- notes of brown sugar and toffee).

***The barrel-aged maple syrup isn’t a necessary ingredient, but if it is used, I’d suggest to stay away from the imitation maple syrup, it can be too sweet and even a little can cover the taste of the bourbon.

If you want to finish this cake off with a flair, I would suggest adding some kind of preservative or berry liqueur, something to add some dark tartness to this light cake. Or, on the other side, you could simply use vanilla ice cream or any ice cream of your choice to finish off this dessert.

Back in the early days of Trailhead Liquor, we had an amazing employee named Joe. Everybody loved Joe and Joe loved everyone else. He had the voice of an angel and would often serenade us with his melodic, warbling falsetto. He would sing of things he dreamed to eat, and this was one of them. -Ode to Joe

The Sazerac is one of the oldest American cocktails (some will even tell you it is THE original cocktail!), and has gone through many different iterations.

Originally made with French brandy, over time American Rye whiskey came to be the featured spirit- though you can still find folks making them with cognac.

The classic version most people have come to know is described below!

I recommend a solid, middle shelf rye like Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, or Russell’s Reserve. For a slightly nicer version, try something nicer like Angel’s Envy or Michter’s.

What you’ll need:

• 2 rocks glass (or one glass and one cocktail shaker)
• 1.5-2.5 oz Rye whiskey of your choice
• 1 dash (abt .25 oz.) of Absinthe (Anisettes like Herbsaint are a classic choice as well)
• Bitters (Peychaud’s is the classic choice)
• Sugar cube (simple syrup or a fine sugar will also do)
• Lemon peel

Directions:

• Fill one glass (or shaker) with crushed ice and set aside.
• Place sugar cube in the other glass, soak the cube in a few dashes of bitters (2 or more, according to taste)
• Muddle into a sugary slurry (A dash of water or soda here can help dissolve the sugar)
• Add rye to glass with sugar and bitters, stir with bar spoon
• Empty first glass of ice, and rinse the glass with absinthe (coat the inside and dump the rest!)
• Strain whiskey, sugar, and bitters into chilled, absinthe-rinsed glass.
• Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.
• ENJOY!

Tips:

• If you aren’t a fan of rye, try it the old fashioned way, with cognac/brandy!
• For the adventurous; try 50/50 brandy and rye… you will be amazed…