Thanks to a gift from The California Walnuts Commission (@CaWalnuts) I now have in my possession some lovely Homemade Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon.
I took one look at that bag of lovely walnuts and knew exactly what to do with them. I tossed them into some bourbon! After waiting patiently for many weeks while the walnuts, bourbon and maple got all happy with each other, I'm now able to share my recipe with you!
HOMEMADE
TOASTED WALNUT
MAPLE BOURBON RECIPE
1 C. Toasted, Chopped Walnuts
2 C. Bourbon
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract (or one split vanilla bean)
2 Tbsp. Real Maple Syrup
DIRECTIONS
Toast your walnuts in a saucepan for about 3 to 5 minutes, keeping an eye on them as they can burn easily. You want a light toast.
Combine all the ingredients and allow to infuse for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to a month.
Strain through cheesecloth to remove the walnut pieces.
(DON'T THROW THE WALNUTS AWAY! More on this in a bit! )
Now you can bottle your Toasted Maple Walnut Bourbon and enjoy!
SOME COCKTAILS FOR YOUR TOASTED WALNUT MAPLE BOURBON:
SWEET SURRENDER
1-1/2 Oz. Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon
1/2 Oz. Bailey's
1/2 Oz. Heavy Cream
Pinch of Cardamom
Crushed Walnuts
Dip your glass rim in some of the Bailey's then into the crushed walnuts. Chill glass in the freezer. Combine the Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon, Bailey's, Heavy Cream and Cardamom in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until blended and chilled. Pour into a coupe, dust with a little more cardamom and enjoy.
PUMPKIN PATCH
1 Oz. Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon
1 Oz. Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
Pour both into a shooter and, well, shoot! Oh, okay, you can add a dollop of whipped cream.
HEY! Don't go away just yet! Remember I said don't toss the walnuts? You didn't? Good! There's another fabulous way to enjoy your sweet, nutty bourbon! Take a nice scoop of those bourbon maple soaked walnuts, mix in an ounce or so of your Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon and pour this right the heck over a nice scoop of rich vanilla bean (or maybe fresh peach or dark cherry or chocolate) ICE CREAM! I'm your best friend now, aren't I?
Go ahead, make extra of everything. I did the minute I used up nearly all of my first batch on ice cream!
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