DRINKING WITH JENNA
BY JENNA HELWIG
TAKE ME TO A BAR, and I’ll order the most mezcal- or tequila-forward cocktail on the menu. Offer me a drink at your place, and I’ll ask for Campari or gin. What I have historically never, ever gone for is brown spirits. Especially bourbon—it always seemed too harsh, too strong, too not for me.
Elizabeth McCall, master distiller at the major bourbon brand Woodford Reserve, says she’s heard my story before. “The biggest hurdle for many women has been the stereotype of the typical bourbon drinker: an older man with a drink in a library with a cigar.” But she says that’s changing. “Women are now driving the bourbon category.”
And it’s definitely going places. Bourbon production has grown by 360 percent in the last two decades, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Considering its popularity, the tempting bourbon cocktails I’ve seen on menus, and the fact that it’s borderline malpractice for a drinks writer to ignore a whole category of liquor, I decided it was time to, if not love these drinks, at least understand their appeal.
I turned to Sammi Katz, a bartender based in Brooklyn, New York, coauthor of Cocktails in Color, and major bourbon fan. She agreed to be my guide.
First, I needed to gather some facts. Scotch, rye, and bourbon are all types of whiskey, Katz told me. Whiskey must be made from grain, and it’s most commonly aged in oak. “Bourbon has to be at least 51% corn and aged in new charred-oak barrels,” she explained. It’s at least 40% alcohol by volume (the same as vodka), and its characteristic sweetness comes courtesy of the corn.
Up next was a tasting. Katz offered small pours of three bourbons. As directed, I cupped the glass in my hands to slightly warm the liquid and help release the flavors. I gave each glass a swirl, smelled, and sipped.
I immediately recognized differences. One was especially sweet, one oaky, and the other slightly spicy. I’m not ready to commit to drinking bourbon straight on the regular, but paying attention to the flavors helped me pick up on the complexities of the spirit.
We moved on to my favorite part: the cocktails. Katz mixed up a bourbon sour—essentially bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar in the form of simple syrup. You can drink a sour straight up or on the rocks, and you can add an egg white, which is how Katz made it for me. Shaking an egg white with the other ingredients thickens the drink and gives it a luscious foam.
This was my first time drinking a sour, and it was delicious! The flavor of the spirit was subtle, making it a great drink for a bourbon beginner.
Because I am a devoted fan of negronis (made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin), Katz suggested I try a boulevardier, a similar cocktail with bourbon instead of gin. I sipped and declared I’d found a new favorite drink. It tasted a little richer and softer than a traditional negroni, very aromatic, and a touch spicy.
Finally, we went full-on fall with a maple old-fashioned. It was autumn in a glass, more bourbon-forward than either of the other cocktails, and just the thing to sip in front of a firepit.
So the next time you see me with a drink, don’t be surprised if there’s bourbon in the glass. I’m a convert.
BOURBON SOURMAKES 1 COCKTAIL
Add 2 oz. (¼ cup) bourbon, ¾ oz. (2 Tbsp.) fresh lemon juice, ¾ oz. (1 ½ Tbsp.) simple syrup, and 1 egg white to a cocktail shaker. Shake until frothy and combined. Add ice cubes and shake again. Strain into a coupe glass.
BOULEVARDIERMAKES 1 COCKTAIL
Stir together 1 ½ oz. (3 Tbsp.) bourbon, ¾ oz. (1 ½ Tbsp.) Campari, and ¾ oz. (1 ½ Tbsp.) sweet vermouth in a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
MAPLE OLD-FASHIONEDMAKES 1 COCKTAIL
Stir together 2 oz. (¼ cup) bourbon, ¼ oz. (1 ½ tsp.) maple syrup, and 3 dashes orange bitters in a rocks glass over ice (preferably 1 big cube). Garnish with an orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg.
Recipes adapted from Cocktails in Color: A Spirited Guide to the Art and Joy of Drinkmaking by Sammi Katz and Olivia McGiff.
REAL SIMPLE’s food director and the author of five cookbooks, Jenna is an enthusiastic eater, drinker, and home cook. Her go-to cocktail is a negroni, and her wine of choice is anything bubbly. Cheers!
Photograph by Fred Hardy; FOOD STYLING BY RUTH BLACKBURN; PROP STYLING BY SHELL ROYSTER; ILLUSTRATION BY BABETH LAFON