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20150519

Tangelo Tangos with Maple Bourbon Cocktail! Bee Survives.


I got a twofer (two for one) on some Jim Beam the other day so I picked up a bottle of their regular bourbon and a bottle of their new maple infused bourbon. I've made my own maple infused bourbon* but I hadn't tried Beam's version before so I thought, what the heck, basically it's free. It's also definitely maple. It's also VERY sweet, it tastes like bourbon with a lot of maple syrup in it. If you are a straight bourbon kind of person, this might not be your cup of tea. But it presents possibilities for mixing. Right away I knew this was a spirit that was going to require some bitters to balance that sweetness, but I like adding bitters to cocktails so no problemo. I'm very fond of the depth of flavor bitters can add to a cocktail and I like the additional herbal qualities they bring to the mix.

I was also in possession of some fairly ripe tangelos that needed to be used and an itch to try out a cocktail foam technique. Plus it was Monday and I really needed a cocktail. Really. Put those all together and this is what I ended up with. It's not really a sour, I don't know what the heck it is as far as cocktail categories go, but it was darned good ... so good, in fact, I had a surprise guest**.

Naming it with another issue, so pardon the word play here:

The
TANGELO BOURBON TANGO
Cocktail 
(Makes 2 Cocktails)

INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Jim Beam Bourbon
1-1/2 Oz. Jim Beam Maple Bourbon
8 Oz. Fresh Tangelo Juice, Chilled
1 Oz. Lemon Juice
6 Bourbon Cherries
2 Wide Tangelo Twists
Ice

Cognac Foam
4 Oz Tangelo Juice, Chilled
3 Oz. Pasteurized Egg Whites
Splash of Cognac
3 Dashes Orange Bitters

TOOLS: Vegetable peeler, Knife, Juicer, Blender, Cocktail shaker, Long cocktail picks, Coupe glasses, Bar spoon.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Chill 2 large coupe glasses in the freezer.
Using a wide vegetable peeler, slice 2 wide twists off the tangelo rind.
Interweave the tangelo twists with the Bourbon cherries on your cocktail picks and set aside.
Add the ingredients for the cognac foam to your blender and whip on high until the volume triples in size.
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice then pour in both the Bourbons, the tangelo juice and the lemon juice and shake until chilled.
Strain your cocktail into the chilled coupe the pour the foam gently over the back of a bar spoon on top. Lay your tangelo and cherry garnish across the top of a glass and serve.


** SAVE THE BEES
As I was outside enjoying my second Tangelo Tango a BEE dove straight into the cognac foam! I think he thought it was a giant queen bee. He couldn't extricate himself from the thick foam, so I grabbed the cocktail pick and pulled him out and set him on my deck rail to dry out. Of course it was a "he", no female would be that much of a thrill seeker.
#SaveTheBees

* P.S. If you like the idea of Maple Infused Bourbon you should make my Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon.  I think the Jim Beam could have benefited greatly from those toasted walnuts.






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