Good ol’ gal Jane van Renen has a few swigs, wipes her mouth and tells it all
Tradition is turning into trend drinking bourbon is especially for those who spend time in cigar bars. Surrounded by an age-old romantic atmosphere, these sweeter whiskeys are ever-growing in popularity. As American as apple pie, and with the languid attitude to match, bourbons mainly hail from the United States state of Kentucky, which is home to most famous labels.
Production began in the days of the American founding fathers, when corn farmers in the 18th century used their excess crop to distil the whiskey.
Today the liquor carries the flavour of the old American West and is to the Americans what Scotch is to the Scottish.
Whiskey was first produced in Kentucky after the “whiskey rebellion” of 1791, when distillers escaped from the tax man by setting up shop in the mountains of Kentucky where corn and pure mountain water were plentiful.
Bourbon is a sipping whiskey kind of right for sunset or midnight or sometime with a fine cigar in hand. Purists drink it with ice and maybe a splash of water. Heck, there are other ways, too. What makes bourbon different from ordinary whiskey is entrenched in US law it must be distilled from mash that contains at least 51% corn and be aged in barrels for at least two years. The used barrels are often shipped off to Ireland where they’re used to age Jameson’s whisky, to give it an edge of charred oak.
The world’s top Kentucky bourbon and most commonly available in South Africa is Jim Beam.
Another bourbon commonly consumed here is Wild Turkey straight bourbon, named after the indigenous American fowl. As its name suggests, it’s the one to drink with wild game. It’s the bourbon that goes down extremely well with our safari-loving locals.
Contrary to popular belief, Tennessee whiskeys such as Jack Daniel’s, the favourite of hard-core rock and rollers, are not bourbons. Even so, it’s the whiskey of choice for the hardest drinkers, who drink it straight out of the bottle with a cigar.
Now come on, try something typically American and bluesy. A Mint Julep brings out the best in bourbon, traditionally drunk on the day of the Kentucky Derby:
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon castor sugar Crushed ice 3 tots of bourbon 6 fresh mint sprigs
Dissolve the sugar in a few drops of water, add the crushed ice and then pour the bourbon over the mixture. Garnish with the mint sprigs.