Favorite Whiskey Cocktails

I love a good whiskey cocktail and prefer the classics: Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Sazerac, Boulevardier and the occasional sour. But my favorite, easily is the Manhattan. I’ve had, and made them with both rye and bourbon. Hands down, the way to go on any of these is to use a good rye. And currently, my rye of choice is Old Overholdt.

Old Overholt

Old Overholt is another one of those diamond in the rough finds. Smooth and spicy and very reasonably priced. Can easily find this for under $20. I think the last bottle I purchased cost me $16.

I rarely drink rye straight, but Overholt is smooth and balanced enough that I don’t mind a sip now and then. You’ll notice a different aroma from bourbon right off the bat, not near as smokey or woody as bourbon can be.

On the palette, the first thing I notice is that rye isn’t as like bourbon. You immediately get a spicy, peppery hit that follows all the way to the end. And this is what makes it a must in a Manhattan. That spicy note takes a cocktail from hohum to the next level.

Manhattan Cocktail

My sweet vermouth of choice is made by Gallo. The ratio I use is 2 to 1 rye to vermouth. Add 2-3 dashes bitters of choice. A maraschino cherry and a bit of juice. The top it off with a twist of orange or lemon peel – it’s a great refreshing cocktail.

I plan to try some other rye brands in the future, but for now, Old Overholt will do. I also would like to experiment with other bitters and vermouths. The offerings for those around here are slim, I think I can count the vermouths I can find on one hand with a wide ranging price. Other bitters I’ll have to order online most likely.

You can’t go wrong with Old Overholt, it’s a reasonably priced smooth and spicy rye. It would be a great choice to try if you’ve never ventured into ryes before. And if you haven’t tried many whiskey cocktails beyond a sour or a whiskey and coke, expand your horizons with a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned. You don’t have to spend a lot to get the ingredients and they’re just flat out delicious.

After you’ve played around with those two, then move on to the Boulevardier or the Sazerac. The ingredients cost a bit more, but they’re next level cocktails. Look them up at your local speakeasy.

Plantation Original Dark Rum

One of my favorite things is discovering unknown gems when it comes to whiskey or rum. Plantation Original Dark rum is absolutely one of those. Here’s how I came across this one. I was looking for a rum for Christmas eggnog and just didn’t want to go with a run of the mill mixing rum (you know which ones I’m talking about). Those just tend to taste like kerosene. I hoped to find something a little better but didn’t want to break the bank.

Plantation Original Dark Rum

I saw this one the shelf, and being familiar with the Plantation label, decided to try it. If you never tried their pineapple rum then go now and by that and this one.

Quick description from the Plantation web site. It’s a blend of 1-3 year Barbados rum and 10-15 year old Jamaican rum. After blending, it’s aged for 3-6 months in the south of France. Oh, and it’s a molasses based rum, as opposed to sugar cane.

I found this for under $20. It blew me away! I had a buddy who loves rum try it. It blew him away. It hits every note one is looking for when drinking a rum without any harsh notes of the aforementioned kerosene rums.

Taking a smell I get the caramel with a slight wood underneath. When trying a new drink, I always smell it first. I like the aroma.

The taste is thick with slightly sweet caramel. And when I say thick, I do mean thick from a mouth feel standpoint. If you haven’t sipped many rums, my favorites always have this mouth feel to them. Thick, but not like cough syrup thick, just the feeling you get in our mouth. Don’t know how else to describe it.

I don’t quite get the spicy notes the web site speaks of, maybe a touch of pepper, but in a good way. It’s smooth and goes down well. I do get a bit of a smokey oak taste on the back end. No harshness, no bite.

I do like my rums neat and cold and prefer no ice. Where as whiskey tends to like a little water, I don’t with rum. Chill it and drink it neat. I’ve tried whiskey stones, I’m kinda indifferent on them, I’ll do a review soon.

If you want to try a sipping rum and don’t want to get into a lot of money, this is a great one to start with. I have a feeling it just may become my house rum, with the occasional splurge on 1888.

1888 8 Year Old Rum

I do have a liking for a good rum. But it has to be good. One that can be enjoyed and sipped like a good whiskey. 1888 is up their, it’s one of the best rums I’ve come across.

1888

1888 is a smooth sipping rum that has been aged for 5 years in ex bourbon oak casks, then finished for 3 in sherry casks. It has a sweet aroma with a caramel mouth feel. It’s not overly sweet and has a slight floral finish.

I’m not a very good taster, don’t always know how to describe what I’m tasting. I just know this is dang good and everyone that’s tried it has loved it.

I prefer it neat but cold. Adding ice does change the mouth feel, almost thicker in the mouth after the ice melts a bit. Still a great drink, I just like it neat a bit better.

You can check out the 1888 site here for a bit more info. This falls into my highly recommend category.