Whiskey ( Bourbon) Cherry Cobbler Cocktail

Summertime is ideal for cobblers because of all the fresh fruits and berries that are in season. I'm not just referring to the baked variety of cobbler either, the shaken variety is pretty awesome liquid refreshment on those warm evenings where you sit on the veranda to watch the fireflies and listen to the crickets and critters of the evening.

After giving a classic sherry based cobbler a whirl with my Berry Infused Sherry Cobbler, I thought a go at a whiskey or bourbon based cobbler might be interesting so I did a little Google research. I found an interesting recipe in Jamie Boudreau’s Whiskey Cobbler recipe over at Spirits and Cocktails but, since I had been using a lot of blackberries lately, I wanted to use a different fruit.

Since May 17th is National Cherry Cobbler Day, I had a new bag of frozen cherries and I love cherries with bourbon, Mr. Boudreau’s lovely recipe gave me the ratios and my inspiration. I didn't have peach bitters so I used chocolate bitters plus just a dash of orange bitters as well to tie in the traditional slices of orange that are piled on top of a cobbler. I  also replaced his plain simple syrup with homemade cherry simple syrup and used chocolate mint instead of the more common variety. And I opted for a soda free version because I was (OMG!) out of soda! Okay, I strayed a bit ... in fact I may have strayed out of a cobbler into a smash* when I dumped the soda ... but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the esteemed Mr. Boudreau does not come over and beat me with a muddler.

WHISKEY CHERRY COBBLER or maybe a Smash, but not a julep .... oh, hell ... COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS: 2 Oz. Whiskey (I used Bourbon) 2 Tsp. Cherry Simple Syrup 7 (Fresh or Thawed Frozen) Dark Cherries1 Orange Slice, Quartered 2 - 3 Dashes of Chocolate Bitters 1 Dash of Orange Bitters Club Soda, optional
TOOLS: Muddler, Bar spoon, Strainer, Knife, Jigger, Old Fashioned Glass**, Reusable or Biodegradable Straw
Garnish:Homemade Bourbon CherrySprig of Chocolate MintOrange Slice
DIRECTIONS:Muddle the quartered orange slices, the cherries and the cherry simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.Fill the glass with cracked ice.Pour in your whiskey of choice.Add the chocolate and orange bitters.Stir until well chilled.Top off with a splash of soda. Garnish and serve with a straw.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

YOUTUBE VIDEO:
A little straw trivia: Before the invention of the paper straw in the late 1800's, barkeeps used actual pieces of straw and later pieces of hollow pasta, like vermicelli!
* A cobbler (spirit, fresh fruit, sugar, soda) is a venerable, usually wine (sherry) based libation, kind of a second cousin to a julep (spirit, mint, sugar) and akin to a smash (spirit, mint, fruit, sugar). David Wondrich says, "A smash is a julep, but a julep is not always a smash." With all the inventive mixology going on these days cocktail categories are a bit convoluted and confusing, but once upon a time there were rules.

Updated 5-2021

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