A New Experiment
So, I'm living in the mid-South, land of the "dry" county. Paradoxically, this is also the home to some of the best US whiskey distilleries--the land of the bourbon. A couple of months ago, it occurred to me that I might explore the various whiskeys available "locally". If nothing else comes of it, I'll have myself a nice mint julep on Kentucky Derby day. If I find a beverage I do like, all the better. I've never really consumed much whiskey, other than some Jack and coke or Southern Comfort and coke. I don't know that I'll actually like bourbon much, actually, but figured it was worth exploring.
To get a start I consulted a colleague at work regarding any recommendations he might have for good sipping bourbons. He advised that his favorite is Henry McKenna Sour Mash and that he likes to drink it with a splash of Fresca and lemon juice. My local liquor store carries Henry, but only had it in a huge bottle. I was unwilling to drop $40 on a biiiiiig bottle of a whisky that I might not like. I settled for a smaller bottle of Maker's Mark. Given that it will take me a couple of weeks to finish a bottle, smaller bottles will enable me to finish my experiment in a more timely manner. As I collect data, I'll post my results here. I'm planning on trying each whiskey straight, then mixed with cola and mixed with Fresca or Sprite and lemon. I'm sure that's sacrilege to some folks, but that's just too bad. Eventually I may ease into just sipping it straight, but for now my palate just isn't up to that.
As an added bonus, the result of my initial bourbon recommendation query has inspired my colleague to do some exploring on his own. He's ordered a bottle of Old Ezra Brooks' Rare Old Sippin' Whiskey and has promised to share his reviews.
The Maker's Mark whisky's aroma reminds me of cherries and perhaps almond. It's a smooth burn. I can detect cherry overtones, but the strongest flavor is vanilla. I don't know that this one is a keeper, but I also don't have anything to compare it with yet.
Relaxing Weekend
I have now spent most of two days sitting on my behind watching TV. I got sucked into the Deadliest Catch marathons. I have also managed to accomplish getting my bathroom and kitchen cleaned, caught up on some long avoided website updates, plus did all my laundry. And I knit half of a sock. In a little bit I'll make some banana bread since I failed to get the bananas eaten before they got over-ripe. I'll workout too, since I haven't done that in a while. (Bad girl!) This evening I'll catch a movie on TV or DVD with Twitchh and call it a night.
This week's plan includes cleaning the carb on the tiller and seeing if I can get it to start. I either failed to put stabilized fuel in it last spring or else it's just being difficult. In either event, cleaning the carb won't hurt it and I've got a full can of carb cleaner. I really need to get the garden tilled up so I can plant in the next couple of weeks. I found pineapple sage plants at Lowe's and will put them in a pot for the deck. I haven't ever cooked with pineapple sage, but I do really like the aroma of the plants. I've also got a couple of small hardy ivy plants that I'll plant in the former poison ivy corner in a couple of weeks. I wonder how many people will be caught this weekend by the late freeze.
To get a start I consulted a colleague at work regarding any recommendations he might have for good sipping bourbons. He advised that his favorite is Henry McKenna Sour Mash and that he likes to drink it with a splash of Fresca and lemon juice. My local liquor store carries Henry, but only had it in a huge bottle. I was unwilling to drop $40 on a biiiiiig bottle of a whisky that I might not like. I settled for a smaller bottle of Maker's Mark. Given that it will take me a couple of weeks to finish a bottle, smaller bottles will enable me to finish my experiment in a more timely manner. As I collect data, I'll post my results here. I'm planning on trying each whiskey straight, then mixed with cola and mixed with Fresca or Sprite and lemon. I'm sure that's sacrilege to some folks, but that's just too bad. Eventually I may ease into just sipping it straight, but for now my palate just isn't up to that.
As an added bonus, the result of my initial bourbon recommendation query has inspired my colleague to do some exploring on his own. He's ordered a bottle of Old Ezra Brooks' Rare Old Sippin' Whiskey and has promised to share his reviews.
The Maker's Mark whisky's aroma reminds me of cherries and perhaps almond. It's a smooth burn. I can detect cherry overtones, but the strongest flavor is vanilla. I don't know that this one is a keeper, but I also don't have anything to compare it with yet.
Relaxing Weekend
I have now spent most of two days sitting on my behind watching TV. I got sucked into the Deadliest Catch marathons. I have also managed to accomplish getting my bathroom and kitchen cleaned, caught up on some long avoided website updates, plus did all my laundry. And I knit half of a sock. In a little bit I'll make some banana bread since I failed to get the bananas eaten before they got over-ripe. I'll workout too, since I haven't done that in a while. (Bad girl!) This evening I'll catch a movie on TV or DVD with Twitchh and call it a night.
This week's plan includes cleaning the carb on the tiller and seeing if I can get it to start. I either failed to put stabilized fuel in it last spring or else it's just being difficult. In either event, cleaning the carb won't hurt it and I've got a full can of carb cleaner. I really need to get the garden tilled up so I can plant in the next couple of weeks. I found pineapple sage plants at Lowe's and will put them in a pot for the deck. I haven't ever cooked with pineapple sage, but I do really like the aroma of the plants. I've also got a couple of small hardy ivy plants that I'll plant in the former poison ivy corner in a couple of weeks. I wonder how many people will be caught this weekend by the late freeze.
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