I’ve been looking at The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book, a recently released bourbon bible of sorts written by food and drinks writer Susan Reigler and featuring the wonderful recipes of master mixologist Joy Perrine. Joy, who has been named Louisville’s Best Bartender, is a veteran of the iconic Equus Restaurant and Jack’s Lounge, is an expert on all things bourbon.

I’ve always been a fan of the Hot Toddy and figured The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book would have a tried and true recipe. I’m planning to make one as soon as I get home.

Hot Toddy Mug

5 oz boiling water

2 oz Kentucky Bourbon

1 oz Simple Syrup

Lemon Twist

Pour hot water in a mug, add bourbon and simple syrup, garnish with a twist.

Enjoy the perfect fall drink.

Do you have a seasonal bourbon or whisk(e)y drink you enjoy? Share your recipe with us!

In my constant quest to taste new whiskies (and bourbons) I am always delighted to discover a new place owned by someone with an appreciation for the amber-colored libations. On Saturday we ventured to a little place we always think of, but don’t patronize as much as we should (and will now) seated on the deck and shivering a little as the sun set I thought it an appropriate night for a dram. Casually glancing at their list I supressed a squeal of excitement. Not only were all of the whiskies in their proper places (Scotch, American Whiskey and Irish Whiskey each with a heading) the little seaside eatery had a veritable boat load of all three!

I began to rattle on about each one, at least as much as I knew, having just finished Kate Hopkin’s 99 Drams of Whiskey I felt as though I could relate to her descriptions of entering cavernous and foreign whiskey shops and being floored by the selection. I finally settled on bourbon, Blanton’s, since I had just written a bit on the history of Buffalo Trace and had never tried this building block of their current array of bourbons.As the world’s inaugural single-barrel bourbon it had a certain mystique about it anyway.

It arrived generously poured over rocks, and in front of my boyfriend (naturally), while his Greyhound was delivered to me. I believe the waitress was close to fainting when I greedily grabbed the bourbon and dismissed the tropically colored fruit drink.

The deep-red bourbon was delicious. Smooth and a bit spicy. Needless to say after a few sips I was pleasantly relieved from any chill in the air.

As we departed the owner, parked at a corner table with a friend, sipped what appeared to be a whisk(e)y from my position across the deck. Desiring to compliment him on his selection I approached and was awarded handsomely with a taste of Jefferson’s Reserve (though not on the list the man loves his bourbon and keeps it to enjoy with friends). It was impeccable, sweeter than the Blanton’s but pleasantly so with strong vanilla notes.

I’m looking forward to speaking with this fellow more about his choices, stay tuned to SMTV. Do you have a favorite local haunt with a great whisk(e)y list? Fill us in!

As I eagerly await an update from today’s shoot at Heaven Hill (sadly I was among the crew members nominated to stay at headquarters and hold down the fort!) I’ve been concocting a few ideas of my own. Of course my proverbial concoctions can’t quite hold up to those amber-colored ones my colleagues are checking out in Kentucky, I’ve been working on some amazing things today. Additionally, if you’re not a fan of SMTV on facebook now is the time to join us, we’re edging up to 500 fans (450 last I checked) and as soon as we hit the benchmark we’ll randomly draw 5 names to win a FANTASTIC prize from Glencairn Crystal. For all the details visit us on facebook.

This morning I had a great email conversation with Kate Hopkins (of the “Accidental Hedonist” blog and recently released “99 Drams of Whiskey” book) she’s agreed to send along a copy of the latter, and needless to say I’ll be waiting for the mail like a kid at Christmastime.

Kate’s “quest for the perfect shot and the history of the drink” has received rave reviews from almost every conceivable corner of the market. More than just a good read though, I’m interested in the story of a woman (an acclaimed food blogger at that) who took the initiative to explore the (predominantly male) world of whisky. Kate’s travels took her many places including Ireland and Scotland (naturally) and back to tell the bourbon-rich tale of the south of course, much the same journey we take each time we shoot a new distillery for Singlemalt TV. Like SMTV, it appears “99 Drams” has the global and many-faceted whisky community in mind. Hopkins’ book seems not only deeply informative but deeply personal, I’m looking forward to reading it with a dram in hand (I’m envisioning this as a prerequisite) and since it’s been raining here for many moon, a great whisky book accompanied by an equally great whisky are pretty close to the top of the activity list at present!

….are you a lady that loves a good dram? Would you rather be sipping an Ardbeg neat than a Cosmopolitan? We’d love to hear from you for an upcoming feature. Leave us a comment here and we’ll get in touch!

JUST IN: Crew has wrapped at Heaven Hill and they’re now en route to an editing session….stay tuned for the first look at day one in Bourbon Country, we’ll have a preview coming your way tonight!