Blog - Wags and Whiskey

Peach Simple Syrup

Craving and Old Fashioned but wanting it to be a little more summery? Well... You're in luck! Peach Simple Syrup is here to help. If you're like me, simple syrup, although really easy, was something I shied away from for years. Once I really tried it I was like "Damn! What have I been missing out on and why haven't I tried this? Simple is in the damn name!" Once you start making it next step is to try other things. For this one, we're doing peach!

First, rinse and cut up 3-4 peaches, depending on how "Peachy" you want it. Put the peaches in a pot with 2 cups of water, 1 cup of brown sugar and 4-5 allspice berries. Bring it all to a boil and then let simmer for 15-25 minutes. When finished, mush the peaches up to get all of the juice out, strain and store in the fridge. It will last 2-3 weeks. I like to leave mine a little pulpy but that's a personal taste.

Now for the extra fun... Take the soft, sugary peaches and throw them over some ice cream t…

Peach Infused Bourbon Recipe

It's summertime and that mean's fresh peaches that this sentence means that I now have "Peaches" from the Presidents of the Unites States of America ringing inside my head. But I digress... Peaches means it's time to go down to the farmers market for a visit to the Peach Truck where a version of this recipe originally appeared.

Now that we have the delicious, yummy peaches it's time to slice them up and throw them into a jar with some other ingredient. I normally use 4-5 peaches per batch, it all just depends on how peachy you want it.

From there it's time for the sugar, I like to use brown sugar. Sure... you can use regular white sugar but it just doesn't blend as nicely in my opinion. then throw in a couple of star anise and 4-5 all spice berries. I then like to top it off with a little bit of honey.

next up... After trying several different versions, I like to use a nice a bottle of Buffalo Trace bourbon. Not too expensive so that you …

Chocolate Sazerac

I don't know which came first, falling in love with New Orleans or the Sazerac. Actually... I think it was at the same time. A Sazerac, to me, is a simple drink that is so easy to mess up but when it's right... Mmmmmm Mmmmm! When I thought about a chocolate one, well... why? Why mess with a perfect drink? Well, it's because we can and it worked out nicely. Don't worry, it's still bone forward, not a sweet martini. One large deviation I made from a traditional Sazerac recipe is that I didn't use the sugar cube, instead, the sweetness comes from switching out Rye Whiskey with Bourbon and Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey. I found that using the sugar cube made it too sweet. So... here's the recipe: Chill an Old-Fashioned or Coupe Cocktail Glass (Your choice depending on how fancy you want to feel) that has been rinsed with Absinthe or Herbsaint. You can also use a dropper at the end of the recipe if you like. In another glass full of ice, pour 2.5 ounces of bourbon and 1 ounce …

Coconut Old Fashioned

One of the best summer pool or beach whiskey drinks we've come across so far. Some people thing of whiskey as more of a winter or fall drink. To them, I say fiddlesticks! This cocktail has become our go-to cocktail for pool time, beach time, or well... It's just hot as hell outside! The first thing we started with was Stillhouse Coconut Whiskey. It comes in a fun bottle (err... tin) and is a white whiskey with coconut flavoring. I know... I know... What they hell are they thinking putting coconut in whiskey but it works, especially in a cocktail! From there, I like to add some good ole bourbon. For the latest batch, we used Knob Creek to give it more bite. Next time, we may play around with the Rye. Next up, some bitters of course! Then we used a Spiced Simple Syrup (Sugar, water, allspice, cinnamon stick) and some Cream of Coconut. What happens next may or may not go against your religious beliefs... Shake with ice. I know! But whiskey/bourbon is supposed to be stirr…

Why Dogs and Whiskey Do NOT Mix

While it's great to enjoy a good whiskey and time with your dog, do NOT share your whiskey with them. Whiskey and all other alcoholic beverages are toxic to dogs and can kill them. While most dogs find the taste of alcohol distasteful, when in sweet drink and other items they may ingest some. Protect your best friend! What do you do if your dog drinks your alcohol? Alcohol is considered mildly toxic to dogs in very small doses, alcohol in foods that dogs like or sweet tasting mixed drinks will, tend to make dogs consume a larger amount if they can. The best move to make if they drink alcohol is to pretend they are a child and keep all alcoholic beverages out of reach and out of nose range of your pup. If ingested, try to induce vomiting and if a lot or high alcohol content was ingested, take to a vet to give fluids. Symptoms of Alcohol poisoning in dogs: Vomiting Disorientation Inebriation Loss of bodily control (ataxia) Diarrhea Hyper salivation Excit…

Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye – Barely 2 Stars

I really like Basil Hayden bourbon and a few other Beam Suntory products so when I saw this limited edition in the store I had to try it. The Two by Two Rye is made with 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye, a 7-year-old “high-rye” Kentucky Straight Rye, a 13-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and a 6-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon and is bottled at 80 proof. Ok, that's where the good stops. The hope with this was to offer whiskey fans both the full spiciness of rye and the sweet characteristics and finish of bourbon. As mentioned... the hope. there is a spicy burn at the end but everything else is gone. Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye is the perfect example of a large company that has great products goes wrong when trying to follow/catch up with smaller companies that also do a great job in different areas. Someone in the marketing department (which FYI, I am one of those people in another industry) sat around the table and said "hey, this company is killing it over here, wh…