ISC: Are there particular spices, fruits, or bitters that pair exceptionally well with the flavor bourbon gains from its time in barrels?

Heather: Bourbon plays especially well with sweet additions because of the prevalence of brown sugar, caramel and vanilla notes, but it can also benefit from complexity added by bitters or bitter elements. One of the reasons chocolate goes so well with bourbon in a cocktail format is that unsweetened cacao is bitter.

It’s often helpful to create cocktails based on food profiles you already love. If you adore chocolate desserts drizzled in salted caramel, build a cocktail based on that profile—sweet, with bitter chocolate notes, a bit of caramel, and a twist of salt to make the flavors pop. If you prefer smoke intertwined with bitterness, consider using other spirits with earthy, bitter elements and soften them with a touch of syrup or salt to adjust mouthfeel and texture.

ISC: How do you bring out the vanilla, caramel, or smoky notes imparted by barrels when designing bourbon cocktails?

Heather: When working with bourbon and whiskey, vanilla, caramel and smoke are all easy to detect. These flavors, specific to the barrel aging process, can be used as a primary flavor ingredient for your recipe. By using the whiskey’s primary flavor elements as a blueprint, you can build the rest of the recipe around them. Taking the time to evaluate the key flavors and aromas is essential for crafting a balanced cocktail.

One of my favorite techniques is using barrel-aged ingredients from local businesses in cocktails. Barrel-aged syrups and bitters are a great way to double down on bourbon barrel flavors.

Even barrel-aging batched cocktails can be a fun experiment. However, don’t leave cocktails in barrels too long. Typically, home cocktail aging is done in smaller barrels, which can impart harsher tannic notes, sourness, or even a bitter smokiness.  Taste your cocktails frequently, and once they reach your desired flavor, decant and store them in the fridge.

ISC: How can someone highlight the unique barrel-aged characteristics of bourbon in a simple cocktail at home?

Heather: I love this question!  To me, getting more baking spices out of the cocktail with interesting aromatic bitters is an easy way to elevate and highlight those flavors.  Or, if you’re missing some of the tannins and dryness of a great barrel-aged whiskey, use a tea syrup instead of regular simple syrup.  Using Irish Breakfast tea or Earl Gray tea, or even chai tea as a base for syrups can create layered and complex flavors within the cocktail itself.

If you’re looking to add more of the char or smoke, I’d suggest putting a small bit of your favorite smoky scotch or mezcal in a small spritz bottle and spraying on the glass before serving.  This keeps the balance of the drink intact but adds those aromatics to the drink and helps the nose “find” those notes.

ISC: For National Cocktail Day, what bourbon-based cocktail would you recommend for beginners who want to celebrate?

Heather: For Margarita or Daquiri drinkers I recommend an easy whiskey sour.  If it’s someone who prefers more spirit forward drinks try an Old Fashioned using either maple syrup or cinnamon infused simple syrup for the sweet element.  Varying the bitters can add layers of flavor as well. I prefer to add both orange and aromatic bitters to my cocktails.

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