Because it’s Friday – and because I’m doing this crazy diet that doesn’t allow any alcohol – let’s talk cocktails!
Backstory: Mr. KK loves bourbon. As for Moi, I do not drink brown liquor. I can’t even get past the smell when the glass is under my nose to even taste it, but the fumes tell me all I need to know: hell to the no.
But, love does crazy things to you, like the time I made myself like IPAs and it made Mr. KK so happy that all those calories were worth it!
When it came to brown liquor – and acquiring a taste for it – I knew it wasn’t going to be from me popping open the Pappy and drinking it straight. It would require a cocktail – the right cocktail – in order for me to overcome my nose-wrinkling reaction to bourbon.
And boy, did I find it!
I introduce to you, the cocktail that will make anyone like bourbon (at least in this drink): the Rosemary Brown Derby!
I found this amazing recipe here, but I listed the ingredients below. You simply take tangy grapefruit juice, woodsy rosemary, sweet honey and nostril-burning bourbon and voilá: you have the drink of the summer (and fall, and spring…)
Rosemary Brown Derby Cocktail
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients:
- Ice
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice (you really need to use fresh grapefruit juice here, the bottled stuff will not taste the same)
- 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus more to garnish
- Soda water (club soda)
- Sliced grapefruit for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the bourbon, grapefruit juice, fresh lemon juice, honey and small piece of fresh rosemary to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10-20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and top with soda water, fresh spring of rosemary and slice of grapefruit (optional).
Now, I like to add a little something special to this drink: grapefruit ice cubes!
This is where the bottled ruby red grapefruit juice comes in handy. I simply pour the grapefruit juice into an ice tray and let freeze. Instead of using regular ice cubes that can water down the drink, these will melt adding more grapefruit flavor.
This cocktail would be FANTASTIC for before dinner drink for Thanksgiving with the citrusy grapefruit and lemon, and the woodsy rosemary. I highly recommend making one…or four.
Life of kk 