The 30-member Bourbon Crusaders group has raised more than $7 million for charity since 2016. The recipient of the funds raised at the group’s annual charity event this year will be the Southern Foodways Alliance.
That’s where we come in. Jerry, as co-author of “The Southern Foodways Alliance Guide to Cocktails,” was asked to come up with a couple of drinks for the Nov. 9 event, where the curating chef for the dinner will be Todd Richards, known for such restaurants as One Flew South and his wonderful cookbooks, including “Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes.”
Back before he, Jerry and Duane Nutter created One Flew South at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, they worked together in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Seelbach Hilton’s Oakroom.
We recently wrote about pawpaws, a fruit native to Kentucky, and a cocktail called hillbilly hymn, made with Maker’s Mark. So, that was a natural choice — one cocktail down, one to go.
The event will take place at the home of Bill Samuels Jr., chairman emeritus of Maker’s Mark. His son Rob now runs the company, and we were told that Rob really likes the cocktail known as an old-fashioned.
With cool weather in mind, we pulled out St. George spiced pear liqueur, one of our fall favorites. The folks at St. George add fresh pear juice and spices — especially cinnamon and allspice — to their flagship pear brandy to create autumn in a bottle. The addition of Carpano Antica vermouth provides even more spice, and a little bitterness. A touch more bitterness was needed for balance, so we added black walnut bitters from Fee Brothers, which bolstered the Southern feel of the drink.
In Louisville, there is a cemetery named Cave Hill, where famous folks such as Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame are buried. It is said that Bill Samuels Jr. drove Sanders around when he was trying to launch his spice blend. We hope Bill and Rob enjoy this spicy hybrid of an old-fashioned and a Manhattan.
CAVE HILL STROLL
1½ ounces Makers Mark
½ ounce St. George spiced pear liqueur
½ ounce Carpano Antica vermouth
3 dashes Fee Brothers black walnut bitters
lemon and orange peel
Place all the liquid ingredients in an old-fashioned cocktail glass. Add ice and stir. Express a lemon peel and an orange peel over the drink and drop them in.
Serves one.
Per serving: 163 calories (percent of calories from fat: 0), no protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, no fiber, no fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
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