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Cocktail of the Day: Old Fashioned on Island Time with Stranahan’s

I’ve been a fan of Stranahan’s for a few years now, since getting to experience the annual Snowflake release for the first time in 2017.

(Sidebar: I also made one of my best booze-writing friends on that trip, too! There’s something to be said for being outside and a little drunk on coffee and whiskey at 3 a.m. in Denver in December.)

While at the distillery, I had my first real experience with American Single Malt whiskey and got to try not only their Original and Diamond Peak but of course the Snowflake release (which people used to line up for days in advance, camping out outside the distillery.) I forget what the release was for that year, but this year, I was able to go back to Stranahan’s for the first Snowflake release in two years. Instead of being at the distillery, as it used to, this year’s release took place at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I could go into the natural beauty of the spot, but words wouldn’t do it justice. Well, one word does:

Damn.

(I’ll be getting to the cocktail, I promise, more on Snowflake first.)

Seeing Red Rocks for the first time is a humbling experience. Then, when you pair it with delicious whiskey it becomes a whole new experience. Seeing that many people coming together to celebrate a special release is fun, and it is a nice reminder that sometimes all it takes to get along is a good drink.

This year featured two releases, Sunshine Peak (the 2020 release) and Mount Eolus. Sunshine Peak was finished in apple brandy (Calvados and Applejack) as well as Moscatel and Cabernet wine casks. Mount Eolus, on the other hand, was finished in rye, reposado tequila, extra añejo tequila, French oak, lightly peated whisky, and tawny port barrels. They are very different whiskeys that appeal to different palates.

I preferred the fresher, brighter Sunshine Peak over the richer, spicier Mount Eolus, but both have their place. I think of Sunshine Peak as a spring and summer whiskey while cooler fall days call for Mount Eolus. The unfortunate thing about Snowflakes, though, is that unless you are there that day, you ain’t getting any. The whiskeys sell out every year, and for good reason. I will, however, be savoring my bottles as long as possible.

Anyway, cocktail time. This drink features Stranahan’s Blue Peak, an American Single Malt that is aged in new American oak and Solera finished. (Solera being a fractional blending method, which results in a variety of ages being blended together.) I liked the mix of mellow single malt whiskey with tropical pineapple and just a bit of added heat from the cayenne. I couldn’t necessarily have more than one of these, but that’s what a rocks glass, a big ol’ cube, and straight whiskey are for.

Old Fashioned on Island Time

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Stranahan’s Blue Peak
  • .5 oz pineapple liqueur
  • .25 oz maple syrup
  • 2 dashes chili bitters
  • Orange twist (discard) 
  • Dried pineapple
  • Sprinkle of cayenne 

Method:  Stir Stranahan’s Blue peak, pineapple liqueur, maple syrup, chili bitters, and orange twist in a glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with dried pineapple and a sprinkle of cayenne.

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Cocktail of the Day: Take the Wheel with Catoctin Creek

Image courtesy of Catoctin Creek

No long screeds about anything today. I was sent this cocktail from Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, located in Purcellville, VA, and they had me from Tajín. (Well, they had me before that, because I’m a fan of the distillery’s whiskeys, but the Tajín sealed it.)

Tajín, the spicy, citrusy Mexican spice blend that graces the rims of many, many Micheladas and other drinks (both sweet and savory), was invented in 1985, according to Kat Thompson, writing for Thrillist. It’s infinitely useful and I always have some in my house. Here the piquancy is heightened by the citric acid, which then bring out the lemon peel flavors in the whiskey. Pair these notes with the sweet orange flavors and the vanilla in the whiskey and you get a nice, incredibly bright (without being too tart) cocktail. It’s a reminder that summer is just over the horizon and we’ll soon be sweating our asses off (at least here in South Carolina). This one would work well, too, as a batched cocktail for Taco Tuesday or any other excuse you might have to drink with friends.

Take The Wheel

(Cocktail recipe courtesy Denise Petty, tasting room manager at Catoctin Creek Distilling Co., Purcellville, VA)

  • 1.5 oz Catoctin Creek 92 Proof Roundstone Rye Whiskey
  • .25 oz Dry Curaçao
  • 1 oz Bitter orange syrup
  • 1 oz Fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1 oz Tajin infused sour water (citric acid)

Method: Stir, fine strain, and pour over fresh ice. Garnish with Tajin dusted orange rose.

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Cocktail of the Day: Kentucky Coffee’s Roasted Toasted Coconut

Photo courtesy of Kentucky Coffee

(Note: As there will be with most of these recipe posts, scroll down to the bottom to ignore all the personal crap that only we as writers care about and everyone on the internet decries when looking for recipes. But… this is my site, so my personal crap stays.)

Flavored whiskeys have, historically, been always iffy for me. It may be the fact that my first experiences with them are the cheapest, sugary-est, bottom shelf-est iterations out there (because college), but so many quite literally have left a bad taste in my mouth over the years. When I was in grad school (Round 1, Montana), Fireball was new on the market and as a poor grad student — and this is not something I’m proud of — would buy it by the pint and mix it with Sprite or other sodas.

Remember, not proud of that. I liked the slogan “Tastes like heaven, burns like hell” and at that time in my life I wasn’t exactly picky with what I was drinking. (Read: I’d drink anything and copious amounts of it while telling myself it was to stave off a Montana winter when it was more just me not being in control of myself, but that’s for another essay at another time). Thankfully, once I left Montana, I’ve only had a few select experiences with Fireball since (one in which I lost a sandal walking home), but for the most part, have successfully avoided it. What I found time and again is, yes, a flavored whiskey should taste like the flavor it is purporting to be, but it should also taste like, you know, whiskey. Most do not.

Skip ahead, skip ahead, and now it feels like we’re seeing more and more flavored whiskey products hitting the market than I remember seeing before. Myriad flavors seem to occupy the shelves now, from standards like cinnamon or ginger to newer combinations, like peanut butter (okay, Skrewball and its competition aren’t that new anymore) and coffee. That’s how I was introduced to Kentucky Coffee.

Kentucky Coffee is a 33% ABV spirit made from “Kentucky Whiskey & Rich Coffee” and is produced in Bardstown, KY. A quick taste on its own gives off coffee on the nose and a hint of whiskey on the palate. The most prominent flavor I got was maple syrup, which I assume was in some way involved in the sweetening process. I proceeded to dump the rest of my pour into my coffee and it was great. The sweetness is nice with plain black coffee and not overwhelming. I’d only be able to have one — I’m usually a straight bourbon in my coffee kind of person — but for those that usually use sweetener or flavored creamer, this would be an admirable substitution.

Anyway, the cocktail.

Originally proposed as a shot, I did not want to do that, so I added a few ingredients to both make it a sipper and make it less sweet (added ingredients are italicized). I’m sure it’s lovely as-is, but as-is wasn’t for me in this case.

Roasted Toasted Coconut, Modified

  • 1 oz Kentucky Coffee
  • .25 oz Amaretto
  • .25 oz Coconut Rum
  • 2.5 oz Cold Brew Coffee
  • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Method: Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a glass, and garnish with a pinch of toasted coconut flakes.

On its own, the original would’ve been way too sweet for me, even as a shot. I wanted to make it more bitter and make it something that would be sippable instead of shootable. I thought about adding soda to disperse the sugars a little more, but decided against it in the long run.

Kentucky Coffee retails for around $19.99.