How Will you Celebrate World Whisky Day
Raise your hands if you knew May 21st was a holiday? Don’t worry you’re not alone, but that’s what we’re here for. Let’s get you caught up to speed…
What is World Whisky Day:
“World Whisky Day invites everyone to try a dram and celebrate the water of life.” according to the founder Blair Bowman. There are events happening all over the world and if you can;t find one near you all you need is a bottle to celebrate at home. World Whisky day is about making it fun to drink some whisky without a snob telling you what you should or shouldn’t be drinking.
When is World Whisky Day:
World Whisky day falls on the 3rd Saturday of May every year, so this year its the 21st and for planning purposes expect it to be on May 20th in 2017, May 19th in 2018, May 18th in 2019, and May 16th in 2020.
How Can You Celebrate World Whisky Day: Here’s the easy part, you can celebrate in any way. You can find Whisky events in your city easiest by googling it, or calling around to some of your local establishments. Some may be free, some may be sponsored events that cost money. But if that’s not your scene you can easily get involved on your own at home making your own drinks or sampling your own whiskies. Home bartending isn’t just for loners, we encourage it! BTW, if you aren’t the biggest of scotch fans don’t worry, we included a couple american whiskey cocktails below as well.
To help you along the way we’ve got a few awesome cocktail suggestions below as well as a few whiskies we love that you may want to try, and just ICYMI, check out some whiskies worth your time we spoke about earlier this week including our Crown Royal Honey Review, the launch of Laphroaig Lore, and a couple of award winning whiskies.
Whisky Smash (Official World Whisky Day cocktail of 2016)
- 45ml Caol Ila 12yr
- 12.5ml fresh lemon juice
- 20ml Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
- 10ml sugar syrup
- 6 basil leaves
- Crushed hazelnuts
Melon Cooler
- 2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
- 3 ea. Honey Dew Melon Balls
- 1/2 oz. Basil Simple Syrup**
- 2 ea. Lemon wedges
- 2 ea. Basil Leafs
Muddle 2 melon balls, 1 lemon wedge, and 1 basil leaf until thoroughly combined. Add Ice, Basil Simple, and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Double strain into ice filled Collins glass. Top with Soda and garnish with Basil leaf wrapped around melon ball.
*Basil Simple 1 cup dissolved in 1 cup boiling water add 20 basil leaves steep for 5 minutes and strain. Cool and store for 2 weeks.
Bulleit Bourbon Lemonade (Courtesy of Bobby Flay)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (1 large orange)
- 4 cups club soda, chilled
- Lemon slices (about 4 large lemons)
- Orange slices (1 large orange)
- ]1 bunch fresh mint sprigs, plus more for garnish
- Crushed ice
- 6 shots bourbon
Combine 1 1/2 cups water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Cool the simply syrup completely. This simple syrup can be made 1 week in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Combine the simple syrup, lemon juice and orange juice in a pitcher. Mix in the club soda. Add the lemon slices, orange slices and mint. Fill glasses with crushed ice. Add 1 shot bourbon to each glass and fill to the top with the sparkling lemonade. Garnish each glass with mint. Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay
An Old Fashioned Old Fashioned
- 2 oz WhistlePig Rye Whiskey
- 1/4 oz Simple Syrup
- 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir all ingredients. Strain and serve in a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange twist.
Fiery Smashed Apple
- 1 oz Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire
- 1 oz Sour Mix
- Chilled Apple Cider
Build ingredients in order in a pilsner glass with no ice.
Cheers,
Alex
