Greenbush Special

Madison's Old Sugar Distillery gets a bunch of love from the Firewater Lounge and they should; they produce fine spirits. It's also no secret that we hoard their sorghum whiskey, Queen Jennie, so that we never run out. Jennie Justo, the famed Madison bootlegger, ran a speakeasy during Prohibition on Spring Street in Madison a few blocks down from where Cindy and I's college apartment was located (at that time it was called the Greenbush neighborhood). Known as Queen of Bootleggers, Jennie would run and serve anything she could get her hands on. So I don't think she'd mind one bit if we threw her namesake whiskey into Guinness, although her Greenbush neighbors, mostly Italian, might chafe at the Irishness of this post's beer cocktail.

Greenbush Special

Holly's Original

2 ounces sorghum whiskey (we used Queen Jennie)

1 3/4 ounces Guinness

1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup

3 dashes of angostura

1/4 - 1/2 ounces freshly-squeezed lemon (to taste)

Stir all ingredients on ice in a mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy. If you don't have cinnamon syrup, remember you can make it yourself. Just take a gander at our Zombie write-up for the recipe.

Kentucky Bourbon - Drinking Notes

There is nothing better in the world than bourbon whiskey. That said, it follows that if you subscribe to these sentiments and you have time to vacation, Kentucky must be your destination. So, this June we grabbed up Heidi and the kids, threw them into the rusty van, and headed south to some of the best bourbon distilleries in the world, including Woodford, Willett, and Four Roses. We also sampled numerous other bourbons at various locations including Eagle Rare, Old Forester, Booker’s, Maker’s 46, Hudson baby bourbon, and, yes, even the immortal Pappy Van Winkle (even have the bottle to prove it). We thought that maybe you might like to know which ones we liked best. How about this selection of six?

Tequila and Sage Smash

Drink: Tequila and Sage Smash

Establishment: Heaven's Dog

Location: San Francisco, California

First Connoisseur: Holly (When I get back to 'Frisco)

1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

6-8 fresh sage leaves

2 ounces of añejo tequile (we used Herradura)

3/4 ounces of honey syrup (equal parts hot water and honey)

Muddle the lemon at the bottom of the shaker. Add sage and gently muddle with a bit of tequila. (Erik Adkins at Heaven's Dog shakes with sage in the tin, but you know I hate chlorophylling my drinks - technically, though, this is why this drink is called a 'smash,' so don't be afraid, you'll double strain. If you want to remove the sage at this point, it is ok.) Add remaining ingredients and shake. Double strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and garnish with spanked sage.

This drink should not taste like a sour. Make sure that the honey syrup and the lemons are well balanced. We used meyer lemons, a sweeter variety, which worked great. A super summery drink.