Last on our trip through America is a Kentucky Mule in the home of bourbon whiskey; this is a variation of the venerable Moscow Mule which replaces the vodka with slightly more Kentucky Straight bourbon and a touch more lime juice.
There are many fine bourbons from kentucky (and many distilleries on the bourbon trail, of which I’ve visited over 20 of them); Maker’s Mark makes a good choice for cocktails, but so do many of the others.
We continue our whistle stop tour of America with a visit to the home of Jack Daniel’s for a Lynchburg Lemonade/em>. This is a simple to make hard lemonade using the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7.
We open this evenings trip across America with one of the many variations of the Long Island Iced Tea; the Miami Iced Tea switches out the tequila for peach schnapps and the cola for lemon and lime pop and then adds cranberry juice.
There are many variations of the Moscow Mule; to close this evening we’ve opted for the Jamaican Mule which switches out the vodka for spiced rum and ups the ginger beer.
This is a very tasty cocktail which would have worked very well earlier this week in the very hot weather. The Summertime Sprintz combines dry gin with pineapple juice and a sparkling wine for a refreshing taste of the tropics.
Opening this evenings #FridayNightCocktails with a simple cherry cola using a cherry moonshine from Firefly Spirits in South Carolina. This is agood one for when it’s hot and you just want a simple, easy to make drink.
Our final cocktail this evening is the IBA official Moscow Mule cocktail, which combines vodka with ginger beer and lime juice.
The Moscow mule is popularly served in a copper mug, which takes on the cold temperature of the liquid. Some public health advisories recommend copper mugs be plated with nickel or stainless steel on the inside and the lip, but it has been disputed whether the time and acidity involved in the drinking of a Moscow mule would be enough to leach out the 30 milligrams of copper per litre needed to cause copper toxicity.
Moscow mule – from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Our second cocktail is another long one; a Long Island Iced Tea.
The cocktail has been criticized for its large number of ingredients, making it cumbersome to prepare in busy bars. It is considered a favorite of university students in the United States and it has thus garnered negative connotations as “an act of mixological atrocity favored by college students and wastrels”, in the words of one food critic.
The drink is a polarizing choice between bartenders, with some favoring the drink and others disliking it. However, the variety of spirits needed to prepare the drink also mean that one can prepare many other types of cocktails if they have the ingredients for a Long Island already.
The cocktail’s flavor has been described as “bright and refreshing”. It is easy to drink, making it “dangerously boozy”.
Long Island iced tea – from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
With the warm weather we’re going to stay with some long cocktails today. First up is the Cuba Libre.
The Cuba Libre (literally “Free Cuba”) is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola (“Coke”) and the alcohol is a light rum such as Bacardi; however, the drink may be made with various types of rums and cola brands, and lime juice may or may not be included.
The cocktail originated in the early 20th century in Cuba, after the country won independence in the Spanish–American War. It subsequently became popular across Cuba, the United States, and other countries. Its simple recipe and inexpensive, ubiquitous ingredients have made it one of the world’s most-popular alcoholic drinks. Drink critics often consider the drink mediocre, but it has been noted for its historical significance.
Closing out this evening with another tall drink; a Tequila Sunrise which is a variation of the Tequila Sunrise which substitutes dark rum for the grenadine.