Whisky Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Nerds with Knives

Cranberry Sauce Whisky Cocktail

March 30, 2021December 2, 2016 by Emily

A delicious, festive cocktail that makes excellent use of leftover cranberry sauce. A shot of bourbon adds spicy depth, along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a splash of ginger beer.

We all know that one of the very best parts of Thanksgiving is the leftovers. In fact, after cooking for days, cleaning the house for guests and finding a place for sixteen people to sit in our tiny living room, I’m usually so tired that I barely eat on Thursday night (except for dessert because I’d have to be fully dead to refuse a slice of Maple Cheesecake).

Luckily we always have enough of most everything for a repeat Friday night, made even more special by the fact that we can stay in our pajamas and be as messy as we please. But even after leftover night and multiple sandwiches, we often still have at least one tupperware filled with homemade cranberry sauce left.

What to do? As is the answer to so many of life’s questions: drink it.

Beacon Mule (Bourbon & Ginger Beer Cocktail)

March 25, 2021May 6, 2016 by Emily

Spicy and smoky flavors combine to create a delightful bourbon ginger beer variation on a Moscow Mule that we’re calling, simply, the Beacon Mule.

Our other winter warmer: Vanilla Old Fashioned

March 25, 2021December 11, 2015 by Emily

Like our Maple Syrup version, this modern update on the classic Old Fashioned combines the warmth of vanilla bean with fresh orange peel and citrus bitters. The result is a little sweet, very smooth and dangerously drinkable. I think my deep and long standing love of all things vanilla began in an unexpected place. A pharmacy, to … Read more

Kumquat-Ginger Whisky Sour

March 25, 2021May 22, 2015 by Emily

Cocktail glasses with a bright yellow citrus drink

Got kumquats? Make whisky sours! This fresh and light cocktail’s tart flavor comes from three kinds of citrus (lemon, lime and kumquat).

Our winter warmer — Maple-syrup Old Fashioned

February 17, 2021January 10, 2014 by Matt

When it’s dark at 4.30pm, your drafty home refuses to get above 55F, and there’s ice on the INSIDE of the windows, what do you do to warm up in the evening?

You could make a big fort in the middle of your living room with every blanket you have in the house. You could rub two kittens together and bathe in the glow of their static electricity (DISCLAIMER: DOES NOT WORK WITH CHICKENS).

Or you could make these Old Fashioneds with maple syrup.

Mixologists will tell you that these are not real Old Fashioned cocktails, since they aren’t strictly made with plain sugar or simple syrup. While they’re explaining that to you, nod sagely and drink up and then demand another glass of “whatever the hell you want to call it, Poindexter”.

Emily bought me the PDT Cocktail Book and a fine Boston cocktail shaker set for Christmas (do you think she was trying to tell me something? Should I be making more cocktails? Is the answer to that question ever “no”?) which I needed to test out, and their “Benton’s Old Fashioned” was a great starting point. Now they use bacon-infused bourbon, which, delicious as it sounds, I just couldn’t put my hand on.

So use whatever whisky or bourbon you have – we’ve tried both Jack Daniels and the local Hudson Whiskey pictured in these shots. Feel free to adjust the amount of maple syrup or bitters; these are just general suggestions that work for us.