Cuffs and Buttons

Several years ago, I discovered a recipe for the original Southern Comfort created by New Orleans barman Martin Wilkes Herron. The original formula, named ‘Cuffs and Buttons,’ is a citrus and spice infused bourbon which was so popular that Herron patented the formula in 1899. 

To make the infusion, start with a good bottle of bourbon. In my two versions that worked well, I used a 750 ml bottle of Evan Williams for the first batch and a 750 ml bottle of Four Roses for my second batch. Pour your preferred bourbon into a large Mason jar. Add 2 inches of vanilla bean, 1 inch of cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 12 dried cherries, a quarter of a small lemon, and 3 half-thumb pieces of orange to the jar. Let sit for five days. Agitate daily and taste. If the cinnamon gets too bold, remove the stick.

On the fifth day, remove the citrus and spices and strain the liquor. Heat a cup of good quality honey (don’t go cheap here) with a ½ cup of water. Add the honey syrup little by little to the infused bourbon until you find it tasty. If you pour the whole amount of honey syrup into the bourbon, the finished mix will be between 65 and 70 proof (Commercial Southern Comfort is 70 proof). Enjoy in your favorite whiskey cocktail or neat.

Cuffs and Buttons Old Fashioned

2 ounces of prepared Cuffs and Buttons
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Top with 7up or club soda

Build the cocktail in a rocks glass filled with ice. Serve with a bourbon cherry or orange wheel or both.

Bigfork, Montana, part 3

We couldn’t leave Bigfork without a visit to Flathead Lake Brewing Company’s Pubhouse on the northshore of Flathead Lake, just a mile up the road from Whistling Andy’s. FLBC’s pubhouse was packed full of people, noshing on brewpub grub, when we arrived in the early afternoon. In a refreshing change of pace, both the general manager and assistant general manager of the pubhouse are women, Nicole Harker and Sarah Peterson.

We only had time to grab a growler to go, and had twelve-plus options on tap to choose from. FLBC is known for its dark brews. In 2006, the brewery became the youngest brewery ever to win not just one, but two, World Beer Cup awards. They won the silver for their roasty 369′ Stout and the bronze for their full-bodied Painted Rock Porter.

In accordance, then, we just had to choose a stout or porter to take home with us. We decided on FLBC’s Rising Sun Espresso Porter. The Rising Sun starts as FLBC’s award-winning Painted Rock Porter with a coffee blend added later from local Bigfolk roaster, Fieldheads Coffee (which is literally right next to Whistling Andy’s).

The resulting brew is black as pitch with a peanut-colored head. The aroma teases the roasty malts and the coffee blend. The upfront taste is surprisingly hop-forward for its 26 IBUs and then tails off into coffee notes on the finish. Frankly, it’s not too far from Vintage’s Scaredy Cat (which took the World Beer Cup gold in 2016). As the Rising Sun warms, its depth of chocolate increases. If you are off to visit Glacier National Park this fall, stop off for a growler before you go.

Bigfork, Montana, Part 2

After having a Huckleberry Fizz at The Raven on the shores of Flathead Lake in northern Montana, it piqued our interest in the gin used in the drink: Whistling Andy’s Pink Peppercorn & Pear Gin. We found Whistling Andy’s in a small, mostly non-descript distillery storefront only five miles north of The Raven in Bigfork itself.

Whistling Andy’s look maybe be low-key, but its spirits are not. Big flavors abound in its generous four-glass flight of liquor. We snared two flights, one a piece, with seven different kinds of spirits: their typical whiskey, their bourbon, a harvest-select whiskey, their peppercorn & pear gin, their cucumber gin, their hibiscus coconut rum, and their Spirit of Sperry (which, of course, is their huckleberry vodka).

Their whiskeys were young, but very well-crafted; I found the harvest-select whiskey to be a grain flavor that wasn’t my favorite, but I could see how other people would enjoy it. The cucumber gin and coconut rum were fine examples of their kind; both with bold flavor. But the bottles we bought were the peppercorn & pear gin and the Sperry vodka!

I know what you’re thinking- Vodka in the Lounge? Well, this vodka was darn good, imparting a whisper of huckleberry love on each snip. In addition, the vodka’s electric pink color would be a welcome part of any Valentine’s Day couple’s aperitif.

I will leave you a cocktail from Whistling Andy’s distillery bar-

Drink: Bear Bait

Establishment: Whistling Andy

Location: Bigfork, Montana

1 ½ ounces of huckleberry vodka (or another berry vodka you have on hand)

2 bar spoons of huckleberry jam

½ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice

Soda

Add vodka, jam and lime juice to a shaker with ice, shake until the tin frosts. Pour without straining into an iced Collins glass. Top with soda water.